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1 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 


PRESENTED  BY 

PROF.  CHARLES  A.  KOFOID  AND 
MRS.  PRUDENCE  W.  KOFOID 


S  O^  <-  ;>L 


OUR 


ORIENTAL  MISSIONS 


VOLUME  I. 

INDIA  AND  CHINA. 


BY 


EDWARD  THOMSON,  D.  D.,  LL.  D., 

Late  Bishop  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 


CINCINNA  TI: 
HITCHCOCK    AND    WALDEN 

NEW  YORK: 

CARLTON  AND  LANAHAN. 
1870. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1870, 
BY  HITCHCOCK  &  WALDEN, 

In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  Washington. 


t 


EFACE. 


r  I  ^HE  following  pages  are  substantially  a 
-^  Journal  kept  by  the  writer  during  a  visit 
to  the  missions  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  in  the  years  1864-65.  It  was  not  with 
the  intention  of  publishing  it  that  the  Journal 
was  written,  but  with  a  view  to  make  out  a  full 
report  to  the  Church  in  case  it  should  be  called 
for.  Brethren,  in  whose  judgment  the  narrator 
confides,  have  latterly  urged  him  to  give  it  to 
the  public,  and  as  it  cost  him  but  little  pains  to 
revise  it,  he  yielded  to  their  opinion.  In  the 
revision  he  has  modified  here  and  there  an 
observation,  and  put  reflections  in  a  new  form, 
but  has  made  no  material  alteration.  Our  mis 
sions  in  the  East  are,  it  is  hoped,  destined  to 
become  very  important,  and  the  time  may  come 

M309619 


4  PREFACE. 

when  their  history  shall  be  written.  Perhaps 
this  volume  may  furnish  some  dates  and  mate 
rials  for  such  a  history.  It  will  certainly  serve 
as  a  mile-stone  to  mark  progress.  Scarcely  four 
years  have  elapsed  since  these  pages  were  writ 
ten,  and  yet  the  intensely  interesting  letters  of 
Bishop  Kingsley,  which  the  reader  has  most 
assuredly  read,  and  which  ought  to  be  given  in 
book  form  without  delay,  will  show  a  marked 
advance,  not  only  in  the  progress  of  religion  in 
the  East,  but  in  the  condition  of  the  world. 
Now  one  can  circumnavigate  the  globe  with 
much  more  ease  and  safety  than  he  could  in 
1864;  and,  go  where  he  will,  he  will  find  society 
advancing,  and  in  the  great  centers  where  the 
Christian  religion  is  permeating  the  minds  of 
men.  It  is  a  matter  of  profound  regret  that  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  has  not  done  more 
for  her  missions  than  she  has.  The  Centenary, 
the  vast  field  opened  at  home,  and  the  results 
of  the  war  will  naturally  be  referred  to  as 
accounting  for  our  want  of  enlargement  abroad, 
but  we  must  not  plead  any  excuses  hereafter. 
Let  us  look  forward,  not  backward.  If  this 


PREFACE.  5 

book  shall  in  any  measure  contribute  to  awaken 
the  interest  of  the  Church  in  our  foreign  mis 
sions  the  writer  will  have  no  occasion  to  regret 
its  publication. 

It  is  hoped  the  reader  will  not  read  with  a 
critical  eye.  One  on  a  journey  can  not  write 
carefully;  and  he  who  knows  what  is  required 
of  a  preacher  in  the  relation  in  which  the  writer 
stands  must  know  that  he  can  give  no  time  to  au 
thorship.  He  has  attempted  nothing  but  a  plain 
statement  and  the  natural  reflections  thereon. 

E.  T. 

EVANSTON,  ILL.,  March,  1870. 


CONTENTS, 


CHAPTER.  PAGE. 

I.  FROM  NEW  YORK  TO  CEYLON,        ....  9 

II.  VOYAGE  TO  CALCUTTA, 24 

III.  FROM  ALLAHABAD  TO  AGRA 46 

IV.  AGRA  TO  DELHI, 58 

V.  A  VIEW  OF  OUR  INDIAN  MISSIONS,         ...  69 

VI.  INDIA  CONFERENCE, 115 

VII.  GENERAL  REMARKS  ON  INDIA,         .        .        .        .143 

VIII.  OUR  FIELD  IN  INDIA, 173 

IX.  VOYAGE  TO  CHINA, 205 

X.  OUR  CHINA  MISSION, 235 


Our  Oriental  Missions. 


i. 

FROM   NEW    YORK  TO   CEYLON. 

I  EMBARKED  at  New  York  on  the  24th  of 
August,  1864,  was  safely  borne  across  the 
Atlantic  in  the  Persia,  and  landed  at  Liverpool  on 
the  4th  of  September.  Here  I  preached  in  one 
of  the  oldest  churches  of  the  Wesleyan  connec 
tion,  and  within  the  walls  of  which  the  British 
Conference  authorized  Dr.  Coke  to  go  out  on  his 
mission  to  Ceylon  ;  a  mission  which  he  was  not 
allowed  to  plant,  as  he  died  on  the  outward  pas 
sage  to  the  East.  From  Liverpool  I  proceeded 
to  London,  and  preached  at  Lambeth  Wesleyan 
Chapel.  Engaging  passage  by  the  Messageries 
Imperiales  I  was  soon  on  my  way  to  Mar 
seilles.  Embarking  here  on  board  the  steamer 
"  Peluse,"  I  had  a  pleasant  passage  across  the 

9 


10  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

Mediterranean,  touching  at  Messina,  and  debark 
ing  at  Alexandria. 

From  Alexandria  we  are  hurried  by  railway  to 
Cairo.  Here  we  have  an  opportunity  to  see 
something  of  the  capital  of  Egypt,  its  citadel,  its 
celebrated  mosques,  the  Nile,  and  those  colossal 
monuments  of  ancient  art,  the  Pyramids.  From 
Cairo  we  are  conveyed  by  railway  through  an 
unbroken  desert,  under  a  burning  sun,  seeing 
nothing  but  here  and  there  a  railway  station,  and 
off  in  the  distance  a  caravan  of  camels,  until  we 
reach  Suez.  This  is  a  small,  miserable-looking 
place,  with  unpaved  streets,  and  houses  of  un- 
dried  brick,  deriving  all  its  importance  from  its 
being  a  port  on  the  overland  route  to  the  East, 
and  the  terminus  of  the  canal  recently  opened 
for  small  craft,  which  connects  the  Red  Sea  and 
the  Mediterranean.  It  contains,  however,  a  good 
hotel  for  the  accommodation  of  European  travel 
ers,  a  narrow  bazaar,  and  a  few  shops  for  the  sale 
of  European  goods.  It  stands  near  the  head  of 
the  Gulf  of  Suez,  and  not  far  from  where  the 
Israelites  crossed  on  their  exodus  from  the  land 
of  bondage.  While  the  sun  was  setting,  and  the 
Muezzin  was  calling  the  faithful  to  prayers,  we 
embarked  on  a  lighter  along-side  the  quay,  and 
were  soon  off  for  the  roadstead  two  or  three 
miles  distant,  where  the  "Tigre"  rode  at  anchor, 


FROM  NEW  YORK   7V   CEYLON.  II 

ready  to  receive  us  on  our  route  to  the  distant 
East. 

Shortly  after  sunrise  on  the  following  day  we 
set  sail  for  Calcutta.  When  we  were  barely 
under  way  two  sailors,  standing  on  a  plank,  fell 
into  the  sea.  One,  in  falling,  caught  a  rope,  the 
other,  while  floating,  a  life-preserver,  and,  after  a 
time,  both  were  safe  upon  deck,  though  one  was 
very  much  exhausted.  The  Red  Sea  is  of  dan 
gerous  navigation,  in  consequence  of  its  numer 
ous  coral  reefs  and  concealed  rocks ;  and  its 
passage  is  uncomfortable  by  reason  of  its  excess 
ive  heat.  The  temperature  of  the  air  is  seldom 
below  80°  Fahrenheit  at  any  season  of  the  year. 
The  temperature  of  the  water  is  as  high,  and, 
sometimes,  even  higher.  In  November,  1856, 
when  the  air  was  82°  Fahrenheit  the  water  was 
1 06°  Fahrenheit.  The  wind  is  S.  S.  E.  from  Oc 
tober  to  June,  and  N.  N.  W.  from  June  to  Octo 
ber.  Sailing  down  in  September  we  had  but 
little  wind ;  just  about  enough  to  cancel  the 
breeze  created  by  the  passage  of  the  vessel,  and 
produce  a  perfect  calm.  Most  of  the  time  the 
air  was  at  92°,  the  water  nearly  the  same.  Many 
of  the  passengers  slept  on  deck,  but  as  the 
amusements  were  sometimes  protracted  till  late 
in  the  evening,  and  the  washing  of  the  decks 
commenced  at  A  o'clock  in  the  morning,  their 


12  OUR    ORIENTAL    MISSIONS. 

slumbers  were  short,  unless  they  took  a  supple 
mentary  sleep  after  descending  to  their  berths. 
Another  objection  to  sleeping  on  deck  arises  from 
the  heavy  dews  of  the  night.  There  is  but  little 
rain  here,  and  the  evaporation  from  the  surface 
amounts  to  eight  feet  annually.  Many  perish,  in 
their  passage  down  this  sea,  from  the  excessive 
heat.  I  suffered  very  much  myself,  and  though 
I  took  a  bath  every  morning  it  did  not  afford  me 
much  relief. 

Our  first  stop  is  at  Aden,  in  Arabia.  It  is  on 
an  arid  spot  at  the  foot  of  rugged  rocks,  which, 
but  for  the  tower,  would  present  a  picture  of  per 
fect  barrenness  and  desolation.  It  derives  its 
importance  from  being  a  coaling  station  for  ships 
on  the  way  to  India,  and  a  fort  from  which  the 
British  Lion  can  keep  guard  over  the  path  to  its 
most  important  colonial  possession.  Here  are  a 
few  stores,  a  tavern,  a  post-office,  and  a  multitude 
of  laborers,  some  Arabs  and  some  Somanlies 
and  Abyssinians.  You  can  here  obtain  a  glass  of 
water  for  a  few  cents,  which,  however,  will  hardly 
bear  examination  with  the  microscope,  or  even 
with  the  naked  eye,  and  reminds  us  of  the  say 
ing  that  water  is  a  good  thing  for  navigation,  and 
machinery,  and  washing,  but  a  poor  thing  to 
drink.  A  mile  or  two  distant  is  a  military  sta 
tion,  where  is  a  regiment  of  soldiers,  a  bazaar, 


FROM  NEW  YORK   TO    CEYLON.  13 

and  a  series  of  spacious  tanks,  made  at  immense 
cost,  for  receiving  and  preserving  the  rain  which 
now  and  then  falls  down  the  mountain's  side. 
The  coolies  here  go  nearly  naked,  and  are  very 
skillful  in  diving  for  silver  coin  which  travelers 
sometimes  throw  into  the  water  to  test  their 
abilities.  Before  we  left  the  Gulf  we  passed 
within  sight  of  the  mountain  range  to  which  Si 
nai  belongs,  though  we  did  not  see  the  venerated 
summit  from  which  the  law  was  given.  After 
leaving  the  Gulf  of  Suez  we  see  but  little  of  the 
shore,  but  wherever  we  do  catch  a  glimpse  of  it 
it  is  mountainous. 

Leaving  Aden  we  are  soon  in  the  Straits  of 
Babelmandeb.  This  is  divided  into  two  chan 
nels  by  the  Island  of  Perim.  We  take  the  little 
strait,  which  is  between  the  island  and  the  Ara 
bian  shore.  Perim  is  a  black  and  barren  rock, 
without  water  and  almost  without  vegetation,  but 
as  it  contains  a  good  harbor,  and  commands  the 
entrance  to  the  Red  Sea,  the  British  have  taken 
possession  of  it,  and  fortified  and  garrisoned  it. 
They  had  no  right  to  do  so  except  the  right  of  the 
strong,  but  they  were'  induced  to  exercise  this 
in  consequence  of  the  construction  of  the  Suez 
Canal  by  the  French.  We  are  soon  out  of  the 
straits,  coasting  along  the  Island  of  Socotra, 
whose  bold  shores,  lofty  mountains,  and  beautiful 


14  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

green  surface  afford  a  pleasant  relief  to  the  eye 
wearied  with  the  sea,  and  remind  us  of  the  date, 
the  aloes,  and  the  dragon's  blood.  And  now  we 
are  fairly  in  the  Indian  Ocean ;  the  breezes  be 
come  cooler,  and,  except  where  we  have  a  touch 
of  the  Simoon,  the  company  feel  their  exhilarat 
ing  influence,  so  that  music  and  dancing  may  be 
heard  far  into  the  night. 

This  company  is  nearly  all  European — mostly 
English — some  in  the  military  service,  some  in 
the  civil ;  some  capitalists,  and  some  merchants  ; 
some  ^.lone,  but  many  with  their  wives  and 
daughters.  Among  the  number  are  wives  and 
children  returning  to  their  homes,  and  maidens 
going  to  their  betrothed — who  are  in  danger  of 
losing  their  hearts  on  the  way.  All  for  wealth! 
but,  alas !  what  a  terrible  tax  to  pay  for  it !  A 
man,  in  the  East,  must  reconcile  himself  either 
to  raise  a  family  under  heathen  influences,  or  be 
separated  from  them  du'ring  their  period  of  pupil 
age.  He  must  see  his  wife  fade  away  prema 
turely,  or  send  her  to  the  hills,  or  to  the  West. 
No  money  could  compensate  me  for  such  priva 
tions.  If,  however,  men  can  endure  them  for  the 
sake  of  gain,  shall  we  not  for  the  sake  of  Christ  ? 
It  is  pity  that  they  who  go  from  Christian  lands 
do  not  carry  better  principles,  move  with  purer 
motives,  and  set  a  better  example.  As  a  general 


FROM  NEW  YORK  TO   CEYLON.  15 

rule  Christians,  who  go  to  the  East  to  make 
money,  never  get  their  religion  through  the 
Straits  of  Gibraltar.  There  is  more  known  on 
that  subject  than  it  is  profitable  to  relate.  No 
wonder  the  heathen  are  so  slow  to  receive  the 
Christian  religion.  They  consider  that  eating 
pork  and  drinking  brandy  are  its  characteristic 
attributes.  They  are,  however,  now  beginning  to 
distinguish  between  a  nominal  and  a  real  Chris 
tian.  In  India  they  denominate  the  first  a  cutcha 
Christian,  the  other  a  pucca  one.  A  new  road 
opened  through  the  woods  is  cutcha ;  a  metaled 
or  turnpiked  one  is  pucca ;  a  house  made  of  mud 
is  a  cutcha  one  ;  a  house  built  of  stone  and  brick, 
and  covered  with  cement,  is  a  pucca  one. 

The  emigration  to  the  East  differs,  in  one  re 
spect,  from  that  to  our  own  country.  The  West 
ern  people  go  to  Asia,  not  as  colonists,  but  as 
traders.  They  leave  their  homes  behind  them, 
and  look  backward  longing.  They  can  never, 
therefore,  feel  that  interest  in  the  country,  nor  in 
its  inhabitants,  that  they  should.  Indeed,  the 
climate  is  too  hot  for  them,  and  they  entertain  a 
prejudice  against  the  dark  races  that  belong  to  it 
as  strong  as  we  have  ever  indulged  toward  the 
African  slaves.  This  is  particularly  true  of  the 
British.  The  Portuguese,  Spanish,  and  Dutch 
have  much  less  of  this  prejudice,  and  in  their 


1 6  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

colonies  marriages  not  unfrequently  occur  be 
tween  them  and  Asiatics.  The  Eurasians  in 
English  possessions  are  generally  illegitimate,  and 
often  despised  by  both  races  ;  and  even  where  they 
are  the  issue  of  lawful  matrimony  both  they  and 
their  parents  are,  to  a  great  extent,  excluded  from 
the  society  alike  of  natives  and  of  foreigners. 

At  Ceylon,  we  land  at  Point  de  Galle  ;  a  good 
harbor  on  the  southern  side  of  the  island.  On 
entering  the  tavern  we  heard  of  the  terrible 
cyclone  of  October  5th.  The  cyclone  is  a  fear 
ful  storm.  It  is  expected  in  the  Fall  with  greater 
or  less  severity  every  year,  and  it  seems  to  recur 
with  excessive  violence  about  once  in  ten  years. 
Thus  it  appeared  with  terrible  force  in  1833,  then 
in  1842,  again  in  1852,  lastly,  in  1864.  It  travels 
in  a  circle;  that  of  1864  was  seventy  miles  in 
diameter,  and  its  course  was  traceable  for  two 
hundred  miles.  We,  who  live  in  this  latitude,  can 
form  no  just  idea  of  such  a  storm.  The  ships  that 
on  the  morning  of  the  5th  of  October  lined  the 
bank  of  the  Hooghly  in  tiers  of  three  to  four  deep, 
from  Fort  Point  to  Armenian  Ghat,  a  distance 
of  two  miles,  one  hundred  and  ninety  in  all,  had 
before  night  either  broken  from  their  moorings, 
and  been  tossed  at  the  mercy  of  winds  and  waves, 
or  had  ground  against  each  other  until  they  had 
sunk  at  their  anchorage.  The  strand  road,  which 


FROM  NEW  YORK  TO   CEYLON.  17 

runs  along  the  river  bank,  six  feet  above  high- 
water  mark,  was,  for  two  miles,  strewn  with  shat 
tered  fragments  of  boats,  fallen  trees,  railings, 
etc.  The  opposite  shore  was  lined  with  masses 
of  ships  mingled  in  inextricable  confusion,  while 
the  bodies  of  men  and  animals  by  thousands 
floated  by.  The  barometer  at  one  time  sank  to 
28.50,  and  the  pressure  of  the  gale  varied  from 
five  to  thirty-two  pounds  per  square  foot.  At 
Koogoree  the  storm-wave  reached  the  height  of 
twenty-five  to  thirty  feet  above  high-water  level; 
sweeping  whole  villages  away,  carrying  ships  into 
the  jungle,  and  leaving  them  high  and  dry  among 
the  trees.  One  steamer  was  carried  inland  far 
ther  than  a  telegraph  station,  and  others  were 
cast  into  gardens,  on  the  tops  of  piers,  and  on 
the  public  roads.  Had  the  water  risen  six  feet 
higher  the  whole  city  of  Calcutta  would  have 
been  submerged. 

The  following  is  an  official  list  of  the  casual 
ties  in  the  city  of  Calcutta: 

Natives  killed, 41 

Natives  wounded,   ......  12 

Pucca  houses  damaged, 1*383 

Pucca  houses  destroyed,          ....  18 

Cutcha  houses  destroyed, 89,412 

Europeans  killed,             .....  2 

Europeans  wounded, 5 

European  houses  damaged,     ....  2,296 

European  houses  destroyed,        .        ,        .        .  92 


1 8  OUR   ORIENTAL   MISSIONS. 

The  loss  of  life  from  Saugor  island  up  to  Cal 
cutta  is  estimated  at  two  thousand  men,  women, 
and  children.  After  the  storm,  in  many  cases, 
the  mails  for  the  country  were  returned,  because 
the  villages  to  which  they  were  sent  were  not 
found. 

The  island  of  Ceylon  is  of  great  beauty.  You 
ride  between  hedges  of  luxuriant  flowers,  among 
which  are  the  Leuria,  or  American  Currant,  and 
roses  of  great  variety,  and  beneath  the  grand  fo 
liage  of  the  bread-fruit-tree,  the  jack-tree,  and 
the  cocoa-nut  palm,  and  you  inhale  delicious  fra 
grance,  sometimes  of  the  cinnamon,  the  clove, 
and  the  temple-tree,  whose  blossom  is  like  a 
white  tulip,  and  whose  odor  is  surpassing.  The 
people  are  a  sluggish,  dark-colored  race,  of  but 
little  information,  and  little  industry.  The  coo 
lies,  or  laborers,  at  the  port  and  in  the  interior 
are  generally  nearly  naked,  and  they  wear  their 
hair  as  women  do  here  ;  done  up  behind  with  a 
tortoise-shell  comb.  They  are  very  numerous ; 
living  in  villages  overshadowed  by  their  luxuri 
ous  woods,  which  are  said  to  contain  four  hun 
dred  and  thirteen  varieties  of  trees.  Of  these 
the  cocoa-nut  palm  is  the  most  valuable.  The 
large  leaves  furnish  fences  for  the  garden ;  the 
smaller  leaves,  (plaited,)  roofs  for  the  houses ;  the 
flower  stalks,  torches;  the  nutshell,  household 


FROM  NEW  YORK   TO  CEYLON.  ig 

utensils ;  the  fibrous  covering,  ropes,  matting, 
and  nets ;  the  sap,  arrack ;  the  fruit,  when  green, 
both  food  and  drink,  and  when  dry  a  most  valu 
able  oil.  Each  tree  rents  for  about  five  shillings 
a  year.  Rice,  cotton,  tobacco,  coffee,  pepper, 
and  cinnamon  are  important  productions  of  the 
island. 

The  northern  part  of  the  island  is  inhabited  by 
Tamils,  the  southern  by  Singhalese — people  dif 
ferent  in  their  origin  and  characteristics.  The 
language  of  the  first  belongs  to  the  Scythian 
family,  that  of  the  second  to  the  Sanscrit.  It 
was  in  Ceylon  that  I  first  made  myself  acquainted 
with  paganism.  The  temples  are  generally  lo 
cated  in  high,  picturesque  situations,  and  sur 
rounded  by  pleasant  grounds,  which  belong  to 
them.  Near  the  temple  is  a  pago.da,  in  which 
the  priests  profess  to  keep  relics  and  valuable 
offerings.  The  images  of  Buddha  are  colossal, 
and  represent  him  either  as  sleeping,  preaching, 
or  meditating.  The  usual  offerings  of  the  people 
are  flowers.  Near  the  temple  is  a  court,  in 
which,  on  certain  days,  the  people  assemble  to 
hear  a  harangue  from  the  priests ;  and,  usually, 
in  the  rear  of  this  court  is  the  dwelling  of  the 
priests.  With  these  are  to  be  found  some  boys 
and  young  men  in  training  for  the  priesthood. 
The  priests  are  celibates  and  mendicants,  and 


20  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

aie  arrayed  in  yellow  robes.  Some  of  them  go 
out  from  each  temple  once  a  day  to  receive  the 
offerings  of  the  people,  spice,  rice,  etc.  They 
are,  however,  allowed  to  enter  into  busy  life,  and 
marry,  if  they  choose;  and  if  they  get  tired  of 
domestic  life  they  can  divorce  themselves  and 
return  to  the  priesthood.  The  priests  received 
me  very  kindly,  and  at  every  temple  presented 
me  with  an  orange  or  some  other  little  present. 
There  is  one  among  them  of  much  learning  and 
distinction.  He  has  established  a  printing-press, 
and  is  issuing  a  series  of  tracts,  derived  from  the 
works  of  Colenso  and  other  English  infidels, 
against  the  Christian  religion.  He  recently  vis 
ited  the  King  of  Siam,  who,  to  favor  his  project, 
gave  him  a  handsome  subscription.  He  was  po 
lite  to  us,  inquired  about  our  war,  and  expressed 
great  pleasure  at  seeing  an  American  clergyman. 
Devil  worship,  which  once  prevailed  all  over 
India,  was  the  original  religion  of  Ceylon,  and 
for  thousands  of  years  held  the  people  in  thrall- 
dom.  Nor  has  it  ceased.  Indeed,  from  what  I 
saw,  I  had  reason  to  believe  that  it  has  far  more 
power  over  the  people  now  than  Buddhism. 
When  they  are  sick  they  send  for  the  demon 
priests ;  and  the  doctors  encourage  this  when 
they  have  a  difficult  case.  These  priests  are 
shrewd  men,  who  follow  their  business  to  make 


FROM  NEW  YORK  TO   CEYLON.  21 

money.  They  are  fantastically  dressed,  go  in 
companies,  and  entering  the  house  dancing  and 
making  noises,  and  going  through  ceremonies 
which  one  would  suppose  must  either  kill  or  cure 
the  patient.  Sometimes  they  pretend  to  trick 
the  devil  by  going  through  the  ceremony  of 
burial,  and  then  invoking  the  devil  to  leave  the 
house,  because  the  patient  is  gone. 

Polyandria  once  prevailed  among  this  people, 
and  although  the  government  has  laudably  en 
deavored  to  break  it  up,  it  still  obtains  in  some 
regions.  It  is  found  very  economical  for  several 
men  to  join  in  supporting  one  wife,  one  enjoying 
her  society  one  week,  another  another  week;  or, 
one  having  her  one-seventh,  another,  two-sev 
enths,  and  a  third  four-sevenths  of  the  time, 
according  to  the  amount  they  respectively  con 
tribute  to  the  support  of  the  household.  Eco 
nomical  as  the  arrangement  may  be,  it  does  not 
strike  us  as  very  good.  With  us,  love  ijs  an  ex 
clusive  affection.  If  we  love  a  woman  we  do  not 
want  any  body  else  to  love  her,  and  should  not 
like  any  partnership  in  regard  to  our  households. 
But,  if  a  rich  man  may  have  as  many  wives  as 
he  can  support,  why  may  not  a  poor  woman  have 
as  many  husbands  as  are  necessary  to  support 
her  ?  Pleasantry  on  this  serious  subject  aside,  we 
see  how  necessary  the  Christian  religion  is  to 


22  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

regulate  the  social  relations  of  mankind.  In 
1630  the  Portuguese  conquered  the  island,  but 
the  court  of  Lisbon  overlooked  both  the  duties 
and  the  privileges  which  the  conquest  imposed, 
and  its  agents  did  more  to  gratify  their  lust  of 
power  and  of  money  than  to  civilize  the  natives 
and  develop  the  resources  of  the  island.  In  1658 
the  Dutch  drove  out  the  Portuguese.  The  new 
comers  were  rather  merchants  than  statesmen. 
They  sought,  however,  to  convert  the  natives  to 
the  Protestant  faith,  though  by  means  unsuitable. 
They  enforced  attendance  at  school  by  fine  ;  ad 
ministered  baptism  and  solemnized  marriages  in 
the  schools ;  making  the  schoolmaster  keep  a 
register  of  these  events.  They  forbade  any  one 
to  hold  office  or  farm-land  under  government 
who  had  not  been  baptized  in  the  Protestant 
Church.  To  extinguish  the  Catholic  faith,  intro 
duced  by  the  Portuguese,  they  declared  Roman 
Catholics  ineligible  to  office,  and,  while  confer 
ring  freedom  on  all  children  born  of  Protestant 
parents,  doomed  the  children  of  Catholics  to 
perpetual  slavery.  The  result  was  that  the  peo 
ple  became  hypocritical,  and  many  lowland  chiefs 
and  aspiring  priests  came  forward  for  baptism 
while  secretly  clinging  to  the  symbols  and  the 
principles  of  heathenism.  The  influence  of  this 
policy  is  still  seen  in  the  desire  of  the  people  to 


FROM  NEW  YORK  TO   CEYLON.  2$ 

be  baptized,  if  they  can  without  'renouncing  hea 
thenism.  In  1796,  during  a  war  between  En 
gland  and  Holland,  the  British  conquered  Ceylon, 
and  they  have  held  it  ever  since.  Their  rule  has 
been  good ;  they  have  opened  roads,  established 
schools,  improved  cultivation,  extinguished  slav 
ery,  introduced  law,  and,  above  all,  through  the 
various  missionary  societies,  spread  abroad  the 
Christian  faith. 

It  was  my  privilege  to  visit  several  missions 
and  mission  schools,  and  I  can  bear  testimony  to 
the  fidelity  of  the  missionaries,  and  the  excellence 
of  their  institutions.  I  examined  classes  in 
English  Grammar,  Geography,  Biblical  History, 
and  Chronology,  and  found  them  well  prepared. 
Among  the  questions  was  this  :  "  What  prophe 
cies  of  the  Messiah  are  contained  in  the  Old 
Testament,  and  how  have  they  been  fulfilled?" 
On  Sabbath  I  preached  in  the  Old  Dutch  Re 
formed  church,  to  a  congregation  composed 
chiefly  of  descendants  of  the  early  Dutch  set 
tlers.  Many  of  these  are  Eurasians.  But,  though 
dark-colored,  they  speak  European  languages, 
and  have  European  dress  and  manners.  In  the 
evening  I  preached  for  the  Wesleyans,  who  are, 
to  a  considerable  extent,  composed  of  a  similar 
society. 


II. 

VOYAGE  TO  CALCUTTA. 

AN  opium  steamer  having  been  sent  down  to 
convey  us  to  Calcutta,  we  set  sail  for  that 
port,  stopping  at  Pondicherry  and  Madras.  On 
the  way  we  encountered  the  cyclone  of  the  2ist 
of  October.  Our  ship,  however,  outrode  the 
storm,  though  driven  from  her  course.  On  our 
way  we  met  with  many  vessels  damaged,  and 
when  we  reached  the  Hooghly  we  began  to  see 
the  terrible  effects  of  the  first  cyclone.  At  one 
place  we  saw  the  wreck  of  a  vessel  in  which  three 
hundred  coolies  went  down  to  a  watery  grave. 
The  ship  was  literally  inverted.  At  another 
point  we  saw  the  Bentinck,  a  ship  of  the  largest 
class,  high  up  on  the  shore,  and  when  we  reached 
Calcutta  we  beheld  a  city  that  looked  as  if  it  had 
been  shelled  by  an  enemy.  It  was  evening  as 
we  drew  near  the  port,  and  we  beheld  on  the 
banks  of  the  stream  for  the  first  time  the  fires 
of  the  funeral  pile.  It  was  to  me  a  strange  and 
24 


VOYAGE    TO   CALCUTTA.  25 

melancholy  light.  Fearing  to  damage  the  ship 
ping  in  port,  we  anchored  below  Garden  Reach 
all  night,  and  slipped  up  early  in  the  morning  of 
the  next  day. 

Eastward  of  Alexandria  we  meet  with  no 
wharf.  At  Pondicherry,  at  Madras,  is  only  an 
open  roadstead,  and  here  we  anchor  in  the  stream, 
and  go  ashore  in  a  dingy,  a  small,  narrow,  native 
boat.  Reaching  Calcutta  we  take  a  ghary  for 
the  Spencer  House,  a  large,  airy,  lofty  tavern, 
built  in  the  Oriental  style.  After  breakfast  we 
take  our  first  ride  in  the  palanquin.  It  is  no 
pleasant  conveyance,  and  I  soon  exchanged  it 
for  a  ghary,  in  which  I  visited  the  Asiatic  Socie 
ty's  Museum,  the  Geological  Museum,  the  Public 
Library,  the  Agricultural  Museum,  the  Baptist 
missions,  the  Wesleyan  missionaries,  etc.  I  was 
not  long  iu  Calcutta  before  I  had  the  pleasure  of 
meeting  Rev.  Dr.  Butler,  who  came  down  from 
our  mission  field  to  accompany  me  up.  Calcutta 
has  been  called  the  city  of  palaces.  Like  all 
Indian  cities,  it  has  a  black  town  and  a  white 
town  ;  the  former  for  natives,  the  latter  for  Euro 
peans.  The  one  has  narrow,  un paved  streets, 
and  mud  or  bamboo  houses,  the  other  has  spa 
cious  avenues,  high  brick  buildings,  covered  with 
stucco,  and  ornamented  with  verandas.  The 
strand  is  a  fine  drive  along  the  river  bank.  The 


26  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

public  edifices  are  spacious  and  elegant,  especially 
the  Bishop's  College,  the  Cathedral  of  St.  Paul, 
and  the  Government  House.  Fort  William  lifts 
up  ramparts  which  require  600  cannon,  and  9,000 
men  to  man  them.  Garden  Reach  is  a  beautiful 
suburb,  with  country  seats  and  elegant  gardens. 
Among  them  is  the  residence  of  the  late  king  of 
Oude,  who,  with  a  royal  salary,  is  always  in  debt ; 
and  no  wonder,  for  they  say  he  has  one  hundred 
wives. 

The  population  is  between  600,000  and  700,000, 
of  which  10,000  are  Europeans.  The  mean  tem 
perature  is  66  degrees  Fahrenheit  in  January,  69 
degrees  in  February,  80  degrees  in  March,  85 
degrees  in  April  and  May,  83  degrees  in  June, 
8 1  degrees  in  July,  82  degrees  in  August  and 
September,  79  degrees  in  October,  74  degrees  in 
November,  66  degrees  in  December.  The  hot 
season  begins  in  April,  and  the  heat  increases 
till  June,  when  the  thermometer  is  often  100  and 
1 10  degrees.  Numerous  public  monuments  adorn 
the  city,  commemorative  of  Gen.  Ochterlony  and 
Lords  Hardinge,  Bentinck,  Auckland,  and  others 
distinguished  in  the  Indian  service.  Then  there 
is  a  Burmese  Pagoda  in  Eden  Gardens,  which, 
when  I  saw  it,  was  pretty  well  demolished  by 
the  cyclone.  At  Messina,  in  Sicily,  there  came 
on  board  a  young  Brahmin,  who  had  been  to 


VOYAGE    TO   CALCUTTA.  2/ 

England  to  complete  his  education,  and  who, 
having  passed  a  competitive  examination,  had 
received  a  commission  in  the  Indian  civil  service. 
He  was  a  youth  of  fine  abilities  and  most  ami 
able  character,  and  I  formed  a  very  intimate 
acquaintance  with  him.  He  is  a  son  of  Baboo 
Tagore,  of  Calcutta,  a  Zemindar  of  great  wealth 
and  influence,  and  who  is  the  founder  of  the 
Brahmo  Somaj,  an  organization  of  Deists  which 
is  becoming  an  important  element  in  the  moral 
forces  of  India.  The  society  was  established 
more  than  twenty-five  years  ago.  Beginning  in 
a  sort  of  Vedic  philosophy,  which  recognized  the 
infallibility  of  the  Vedas  and  the  sanctity  of  the 
Brahmins,  and  "blew  the  sacred  couch,  and  rang 
the  sacred  bell,"  it  has  at  length  reached  a  sim 
ple  theism.  It  at  first  took  external  nature  as 
its  teacher  of  religious  truth,  but  finding  that 
insufficient,  it  has  learned  to  depend  on  the 
internal  light,  or  religious  consciousness.  Its 
members  study  the  works  of  Colenso,  Newman, 
Theodore  Parker,  and  other  English  and  Ameri 
can  skeptics.  The  writings  of  Thomas  Paine 
are  to  be  found  translated  in  India,  but  the 
Brahmos  are  too  cultivated  to  be  pleased  with 
his  blasphemy.  It  professes  to  be  Catholic  and 
Eclectic ;  recognizing  some  truth  in  all  forms  of 
faith,  and  selecting  from  Western  and  Eastern 


28  OUR   ORIENTAL   MISSIONS. 

religions    those    principles    which    it    approves, 
crying  with  Emerson, 

"I  am  owner  of  the  sphere, 
Of  the  seven  stars,  and  the  solar  year ; 
Of  Caesar's  hand,  and  Plato's  brain ; 
Of  Lord  Christ's  heart,  and  Shakspeare's  strain." 

It  differs  from  the  Deism  of  the  West  in  two 
important  particulars.  It  maintains  a  devotional 
spirit ;  assumes  an  organic  form  ;  it  has  a 
Church,  a  liturgy,  and  a  sort  of  priesthood;  it 
gathers  in  its  converts,  and  sends  out  its 
agents  to  preach  alike  against  Hindooism,  Mo- 
hammedism,  and  Christianity  ;  it  is  thoroughly 
iconoclastic,  and,  so  far  as  it  is  destructive, 
it  is  useful  ;  but  it  presents  no  definite  faith, 
and  exercises  no  moral  discipline  over  its  mem 
bers.  Its  mode  of  operating  upon  the  nation  is 
peculiar.  Regarding  Hindooism  as  the  repre 
sentation  of  the  national  character,  and  desiring 
to  preserve  the  national  life,  it  would  adopt  the 
national  religion  and  modify  it,  or,  rather,  adapt 
the  new  religion  to  Indian  Sociology,  Philosophy, 
and  modes  of  action,  so  as  to  preserve  the  Hin 
doo  character  and  the  whole  machinery  of 
Hindoo  society  complete.  Its  ideas  are,  how 
ever,  unsettled.  At  first  it  deemed  God  too 
merciful  to  punish,  now  it  deems  him  too  just  to 
forgive.  The  day  after  I  reached  Calcutta  young 


VOYAGE    TO    CALCUTTA.  29 

Mr.  Tagore  called  upon  me  to  say  that  in  conse 
quence  of  damage  done  by  the  cyclone  to  the 
church  of  the  Brahmos,  the  next  meeting  of  that 
body  would  be  in  his  father's  chapel,  and  that 
they  would  be  happy  to  see  me  there.  Accord 
ingly,  at  the  appointed  time,  I  set  out  for  it  in 
company  with  Dr.  Butler.  We  found,  in  passing 
through  the  native  city,  an  intolerable  smoke, 
and  were  assured  that  it  is  always  experienced 
in  the  evening,  and  results  from  the  fires  of  the 
natives,  who  do  their  cooking  at  this  period ; 
often  in  fire-places  without  chimneys,  and  filled 
with  cow-dung,  which  is  the  chief  combustible 
of  the  country. 

The  house  of  the  Baboo  is  high  and  substan 
tial,  and  built  round  a  spacious  court.  In  the 
first  story,  extending  across  one  side,  is  the 
chapel ;  a  beautiful  apartment,  capable  of  accom 
modating  three  or  four  hundred  worshipers,  with 
a  pulpit  and  orchestra.  Every  thing  about  it  is 
tasteful  and  Grecian.  Behind  the  pulpit  were 
numerous  inscriptions  in  Sanscrit,  Hindoo,  Ara 
bic,  Persian,  etc.  ;  such  as,  "  God  is  one,  and 
there  is  no  second,"  "God  is  true,"  "God  is 
good,"  "God  is  beautiful."  The  worshipers  were 
all  men,  chiefly  young,  and  dressed  in  white 
robes.  They  sat  upon  the  marble  floor  during 
the  whole  service.  Mr.  Tagore  and  two  other 


30  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

gentlemen  seated  themselves  in  the  pulpit/  and 
the  worship  commenced.  It  consisted  in  reading 
select  passages  from  the  Shasters,  prayers,  chants, 
and  hymns — with  instrumental  accompaniment — 
and  excogitations  from  the  breast  of  Mr.  Tagore, 
etc.  The  assembly  was  orderly,  and,  apparently, 
devout.  Many  of  them  moved  their  bodies  back 
ward  and  forward ;  a  motion  in  which  they 
seemed  to  have  imitated  those  who  occupied  the 
pulpit  At  our  entrance  we  were  seated  in  two 
arm-chairs  that  were  provided  for  us.  After 
service  the  younger  Baboo  invited  us  to  tea. 
Besides  himself,  his  brother  and  the  chief  lect 
urer  of  the  association  appeared  at  the  table,  but 
none  of  the  rest  of  the  family.  The  lecturer  is 
a  well-educated  and  accomplished  gentleman. 
He  goes  to  the  different  cities  of  India  to  de 
claim  against  idolatry,  and  organize  affiliated 
societies.  The  meeting  produced  mingled  feel 
ings  of  joy  and  sorrow,  hope  and  fear. 

It  is  easy  to  understand  how  young  men,  edu 
cated  in  the  government  schools  of  India,  lose 
faith  in  their  own  religion,  and,  as  they  have  no 
better  presented  to  them,  lose  faith  in  all.  It  is 
easy,  too,  to  perceive  how  this  institution,  at 
present  simply  theistic,  will  become  otherwise. 
The  utterances  of  Baboo  Tagore  are  taken  down 
and  printed,  and  they  already  constitute  a  book. 


VOYAGE    TO   CALCUTTA.  31 

This  book  will  soon  come  to  be  regarded  as 
inspired,  since  its  sentences  are  supposed  to 
come  from  the  inner  monitor,  or  divine  guide. 

From  Calcutta  we  proceed  by  railway  to  Ben 
ares,  through  Serampore,  the  seat  of  the  first 
Baptist  mission  in  India,  Shandernagore,  Burd- 
wan,  Dinapore,  Patua,  and  Buxar.  The  distance 
is  540  miles.  We  crossed  the  Ganges  on  a 
bridge  of  boats.  It  was  night  when  we  arrived. 
The  city,  lighted  up,  made  a  fine  appearance 
from  the  stream.  Here  we  were  met  by  Mr. 
Sherring  and  Mr.  Blake,  of  the  London  Mission 
ary  Society,  and  kindly  taken  to  the  house  of 
the  former.  One  can  hardly  enter  such  a  place 
as  this  without  emotion.  Benares  is  regarded  by 
the  Hindoos  as  coeval  with  the  birth  of  Hindoo- 
ism,  and  is  a  place  of  holiness  and  heavenly 
beauty.  It  calls  forth  the  same  longing  as  the 
Mohammedan  feels  to  visit  Mecca,  and,  hence, 
attracts  crowds  of  pilgrims.  It  was  here  that,  in 
the  year  588  B.  C.,  Sakya  Muni,  the  last  and 
only  historical  Buddh,  on  attaining  Buddahood, 
first  "turned  the  wheel  of  the  Law"  in  the  mon 
astery,  now  known  as  Sarnath  ;  a  position  which 
he  sought  as  one  from  which  he  could  best  influ 
ence  the  nation.  Benares  must,  therefore,  have 
been  regarded  as  the  ecclesiastical  capital  of  the 
country  at  that  early  period.  The  Hindoos  have 


32  OUR   ORIENTAL   MISSIONS. 

a  foolish  tradition  that  it  existed  before  the  Flood, 
and  that  Mahades  balanced  it  on  his  trident,  and 
thus  saved  it  from  the  waters.  It  is,  however, 
but  a  sober  opinion  that  Benares  was  flourishing- 
while  Athens  was  but  beginning,  and,  perhaps, 
may  have  furnished  Solomon  with  gold  to  adorn 
the  Temple.  Macaulay's  famous  description  in 
his  "Warren  Hastings"  is  still  correct,  only  that 
he  puts  the  population  too  high.  He  says  it  is 
"a  city  which,  in  wealth,  population,  dignity,  and 
sanctity  was  among  the  foremost  of  Asia.  It  was 
commonly  believed  that  half  a  million  of  human 
beings  were  crowded  into  that  labyrinth  of  lofty 
alleys,  rich  with  shrines,  and  minarets,  and  bal 
conies,  and  carved  oriels,  to  which  the  sacred 
apes  clung  by  hundreds.  The  traveler  could 
scarcely  make  his  way  through  the  press  of  holy 
mendicants,  and  not  less  holy  bulls.  The  broad 
and  stately  flights  of  steps  which  descended  from 
these  swarming  haunts,  and  the  bathing  places 
along  the  Ganges,  were  worn  every  day  by  the 
footsteps  of  an  innumerable  multitude  of  wor 
shipers.  The  schools  and  temples  drew  crowds 
of  pious  Hindoos  from  every  province  where  the 
Brahminical  faith  was  known.  Hundreds  of 
devotees  came  thither  every  month  to  die;  for  it 
was  believed  that  a  peculiarly  happy  fate  awaited 
the  man  who  should  pass  from  the  sacred  city 


VOYAGE    TO   CALCUTTA.  33 

into  the  sacred  river.  Nor  was  superstition  the 
only  motive  which  allured  strangers  to  that 
great  metropolis.  Commerce  had  as  many  pil 
grims  as  religion.  All  along  the  shores  of  the 
venerable  stream  lay  great  fleets  of  vessels  laden 
with  rich  merchandise.  From  the  looms  of  Ben 
ares  went  forth  the  most  delicate  silks  that 
adorned  the  balls  of  St.  James  and  of  Versailles  ; 
and  in  the  bazaars,  the  muslins  of  Bengal  and  the 
sabers  of  Oude  were  mingled  with  the  jewels  of 
Golconda  and  the  shawls  of  Cashmere." 

Before  daylight  next  morning  we  were  in  a 
carriage,  and  on  our  way  to  Sigra,  the  site  of  the 
Church  mission.  Thence  we  proceeded  to  the 
celebrated  temples  of  Trilochan,  Nirbadeshwar, 
Bisheshwar,  Admahadeo,  Gyanapi,  etc.  Going 
down  to  the  river,  we  took  a  boat  and  rowed 
along  the  water-front  of  the  city  several  miles, 
charmed  with  the  palaces  and  ghats.  Stopping 
at  one  of  the  latter,  we  saw  a  number  of  wor 
shipers  in  the  stream  bathing  and  offering  their 
devotions  both  to  the  water  and  the  sun.  Among 
these  was  an  old  woman  with  leprosy.  On  the 
bank  sat  a  Fakeer,  the  most  miserable  object  I 
ever  beheld ;  wan,  worn  to  a  skeleton,  his  limbs 
apparently  stiffened,  his  hair  disheveled,  his 
whole  person  nearly  nude,  and  covered  with 
ashes.  And  yet  he  was  an  object  of  worship  as 


34  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

he  stood  silent  and  stupid  before  us.  Passing 
by  numerous  temples  we  proceed  to  the  center 
of  the  city  to  visit  the  Mosque  of  Aurungzebe, 
built  on  the  site  of  the  magnificent  Hindoo  tem 
ple,  Bindoo  Madhava,  which  was  destroyed  to 
give  it  place.  Ascending  one  of  its  minarets, 
232  feet,  we  had  a  pretty  good  view  of  the  eccle 
siastical  capital  of  Hindostan,  so  holy  in  the  esti 
mation  of  Hindoos  that  any  one  dying  within  a 
circle  of  fifty  miles  of  which  a  certain  well  in 
the  city  is  the  center,  is  sure  of  heaven.  This 
brings  multitudes  from  all  quarters  thither  to 
die.  It  is  the  seat  of  the  Hindoo  Sanscrit  Col 
lege,  the  chief  institution  of  native  Hindoo  learn 
ing,  and  it  is  crowded,  not  merely  with  scholars, 
but  mendicant  priests.  We  next  visited  the 
Man  Mandil,  an  ancient  Hindoo  observatory, 
many  of  whose  coarse  but  curious  instruments 
are  still  preserved.  Thence  we  passed  through 
some  of  the  narrow  streets,  a  part  of  the  Chow- 
kambia  bazaar,  and  the  market  Beseshergunje,  the 
Queen's  College,  the  College  of  Jay  Narayen, 
and  the  schools  of  the  missionaries. 

One  of  the  strangest  objects  to  a  Western 
man  is  the  treatment  of  the  dead.  The  corpse 
is  taken  in  a  palanquin  to  the  bank  of  the  stream  ; 
here  it  is  sprinkled  with  Ganges  water.  A  fire 
is  kindled  under  it,  the  friends  attending  depart, 


VOYAGE   TO   CALCUTTA.  35 

and  the  persons  having  charge  of  the  cremation 
do  not  wait  for  it  to  be  consumed,  but  push  it 
half  charred  into  the  river,  down  which  it  floats, 
the  crows  pecking  it  above,  the  fishes  below. 

Passing  from  temple  to  temple,  and  from 
shrine  to  shrine,  we  could  but  think  what  an 
awful  thing  Indian  idolatry  is.  So  filthy,  so 
vile,  Christian  pen  dare  not  describe  what  the 
eye  may  see  in  that  classic  seat  of  heathenism. 
You  must  read  the  first  chapter  of  the  Epistle 
to  the  Romans  to  understand  it.  The  apostle 
meant  what  he  said  when  he  told  the  Ephesians 
that  they  were  washed.  Heathens  now  need 
washing,  not  their  feet  and  hands  alone,  but 
their  tongues,  their  minds,  their  consciences. 
It  is  silly  as  it  is  vile.  Monkeys  are  venerated. 
In  the  neighborhood  of  one  temple  they  crowd 
the  street,  the  sidewalks,  and  hang  from  the 
roofs  of  the  houses  like  grapes  from  the  vine. 
They  fill  the  courts  and  gates  of  the  temple 
itself.  Sacred  bulls,  too,  wander  the  streets,  fat 
and  impudent  and  dangerous,  helping  themselves 
at  the  groceries,  and  turning  the  people  from 
the  sidewalks.  Occasionally  one  is  enticed  aside 
by  the  Mohammedans,  and  slyly  converted  into 
beef.  At  one  time  the  Government  was  obliged 
to  deport  a  number  across  the  river  for  the 
safety  of  the  city.  When  a  rich  man  loses  a 


36  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

relative  he  lets  loose  a  bull,  which  is  supposed 
to  be  the  recipient  of  the  departed  spirit,  and 
thenceforward  he  becomes  sacred.  A  bull,  how 
ever,  would  be  sacred  without  this,  as  this  ani 
mal  is  supposed  to  be  one  of  the  forms  of 
incarnation  assumed  by  Vishnu  ;  and  the  Ganges 
is  supposed  to  proceed  from  the  mouth  of  a 
cow.  Images,  as  well  as  natural  objects,  are 
worshiped.  Mr.  Leupolt,  a  Church  missionary, 
said  that  after  riding  all  one  day,  in  the  most 
romantic  and  beautiful  region  of  the  valley  of 
the  Nerbuddah,  charmed  both  with  the  waters 
and  the  fields,  and  especially  the  mountains, 
whose  gorges  seemed  to  lift  the  mind  irresist 
ibly  up  to  the  Almighty,  he  came  across  a 
Fakeer,  who  was  in  a  dark,  dirty  cave,  where 
he  had  dwelt  alone  for  thirty  years,  worshiping 
an  idol,  which  he  had  made  himself.  He  was 
curious  to  see  the  object  of  the  man's  devotion  ; 
and  what  think  you  it  was  made  of — cow-dung! 
Now,  said  Mr.  L.,  if  the  man  had  spent  life 
worshiping  the  mountains  or  the  stream,  I  would 
have  forgiven  him,  but  to  make  his  adoration 
day  after  day,  year  after  year,  to  that  bit  of  dirt, 
was  too  horrible. 

The  worship  is  a  piece  of  mosaic.  At  one 
temple  there  stood  at  the  gate  a  shivering  ram, 
which  some  one  had  brought  to  be  sacrificed 


VOYAGE    TO  CALCUTTA.  37 

to  appease  the  god  who  was  supposed  to  have 
brought  sickness  upon  his  family.  Near  by  was 
the  altar,  and  by  its  side  the  broad  and  bloody 
knife  wherewith  the  priest  is  accustomed  to 
sever,  at  a  blow,  the  head  of  the  animal  from 
the  neck.  Passing  into  the  court  we  see  the 
temple.  It  is  small.  On  a  platform  before  it 
stands  the  priest ;  in  the  rear  is  the  idol.  The 
worshiper  enters  with  some  water  and  flowers. 
In  order  that  the  god  may  notice  him  and  give 
attention  to  his  offering,  he  rings  the  bell  which 
is  suspended  above  him.  Having  poured  water 
and  sprinkled  flowers  upon  the  object  of  his 
devotion,  he  sits  down  with  a  string  of  beads 
in  his  hands  to  count  his  prayers,  which  gener 
ally  consist  of  a  repetition  of  the  word  Ram — 
the  name  of  his  god.  So  shameful  is  the  ap 
pearance  of  one  of  the  common  objects  of  wor 
ship  that  even  Indian  women,  though  veiled,  are 
too  modest  to  present  themselves  before  it  by 
daylight,  and  therefore  they  pay  their  devotions 
at  night.  Such  is  the  tendency  to  worship  that 
men  are  found  worshiping  telegraph  poles,  gas- 
pipes,  and  ordinary  men  who  do  any  extraor 
dinary  deeds.  It  is  easy  to  conceive  what  must 
be  the  literature  and  the  common  language  of 
such  ax  people.  The  curses  and  conversation 
of  even  the  children  in  the  street  would  not  be 


38  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

repeated  in  the  vilest  purlieus  of  New  York. 
If  you  ask  the  reason  why  the  women  are  not 
educated,  you  are  told  that  there  is  no  literature 
in  Hindoo  fit  for  a  decent  woman  to  read.  Of 
course  the  mind  of  the  people  is  dwarfed  and 
the  conscience  corrupted.  As  practice  flows 
from  principles,  it  must  needs  be  that  Indian 
morality  is  law.  Notwithstanding  the  influence 
of  British  magistracy  and  the  power  of  British 
laws,  infanticide,  slavery,  dakoitee,  thuggee,  and 
other  forms  of  wickedness  are  practiced,  though 
concealed. 

And  yet  there  is  hope  for  the  people !  Sir 
John  Lawrence  happened  to  be  at  Benares  dur 
ing  my  stay  there,  and  four  hundred  pupils  of 
the  Queen's  College,  and  four  thousand  children 
from  the  schools  presented  themselves  before 
him  on  the  grass  of  the  campus  with  their  slates 
and  maps,  and  copy-books  and  diagrams,  pre 
pared  to  answer  questions.  One  boy  had  ad 
vanced  to  the  fourth  book  of  Euclid.  This  visit 
of  Sir  John  gave  me  an  opportunity  of  seeing 
more  of  the  higher  life  of  India  in  one  day 
than  I  could  have  done  under  ordinary  circum 
stances  in  years.  A  party  of  one  hundred  and 
fifty  persons,  from  the  best  families  of  the  neigh 
boring  districts,  came  to  the  ball  of  the  Maha 
rajah  of  the  city.  The  line  of  road  through 


VOYAGE    TO   CALCUTTA.  39 

which  his  Excellency  passed — six  miles — was 
lighted  with  candles,  the  Ghat  opposite  to  Ram- 
nuggur  was  covered  with  white  cloth,  boats 
with  ;  fire-works  were  anchored  in  the  stream, 
the  fort  was  brilliantly  illuminated,  and  the 
whole  stream  seemed  ablaze.  We  were  behind 
hand  as  to  the  ball,  but  not  as  to  the  Durbar 
which  the  Viceroy  held  on  the  following  day 
for  the  purpose  of  investing  the  Rajah  of  Rewah 
with  the  star  of  India ;  an  honor  held  in  the 
highest  estimation,  and  which  was  conferred  on 
this  occasion  for  fidelity  to  the  British  Govern 
ment  during  the  late  Indian  Rebellion. 

The  large  tent  of  the  Maharajah  of  Benares 
was  pitched  on  the  lawn  for  the  purpose.  The 
Indian  dignitaries  came  in  Oriental  style.  They 
themselves  usually  rode  in  elegant  open  car 
riages,  guarded  by  cavalry  and  followed  by  long 
trains  of  attendants  on  camels  or  elephants. 
The  scene  outside  the  tent  was  bewildering. 
On  all  sides,  drawn  up  in.  a  hollow  square,  with 
perfect  regularity  and  richly  caparisoned,  were 
cavalry,  camels,  and  elephants,  the  arms  and 
dresses  of  whose  riders  flashed  in  the  sunbeams. 
Within  were  the  carriages  of  the  Rajahs  and 
Nawabs,  and  between  the  two  lines  British 
infantry  and  artillery,  under  the  marshaling  of 
General  Troup.  Entering  the  tent  early  we 


40  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

had  an  opportunity  of  scanning  the  parties  as 
they  entered.  The  Viceroy's  arm-chair,  of  solid 
silver,  occupied  the  center  of  the  tent,  under 
an  embroidered  canopy,  supported  by  four  sil 
ver  poles  ;  on  the  right  of  this  was  another 
silver  chair,  set  for  the  Rajah  of  Rewah,  and  on 
the  left  a  third,  for  his  Honor  the  Governor 
of  the  North-Western  Provinces.  To  the  right 
of  the  Lieutenant-Governor  were  chairs  in  five 
rows  for  the  European  ladies  and  gentlemen, 
one  of  which  I  occupied  ;  and  on  the  left  side 
after  the  silver  chair  of  his  Highness,  the  Rajah 
of  Rewah,  were  placed  chairs  for  the  other 
Maharajahs,  Rajahs,  Nawabs,  Princes,  and  the 
nobility  and  gentry,  each  being  seated  according 
to  his  rank ;  all  were  dressed  in  the  showy  cos 
tume  of  the  East,  loaded  with  diamonds,  "bar 
baric  pearls,  and  gold ;"  some  probably  had  a 
million's  worth  of  property  upon  their  persons. 
Among  those  near  the  top  were  pointed  out  to 
us  two  youthful  Princes  of  the  house  of  Delhi, 
the  Princes  of  Nepaul,  the  Maharajah  of  Niz- 
ninagram,  the  Maharajah  of  Benares,  and  the 
Rajah  Dwa  Narajen,  and  Sing  Bahadoor.  The 
Star  of  India  was  placed  on  a  velvet  cush 
ion  on  a  table  in  the  middle.  The  troops  in 
the  station  formed  a  guard  of  honor.  At  half- 
past  four,  P.  M.,  the  Maharajah  entered  the 


VOYAGE   TO   CALCUTTA.  41 

tent  under  a  salute  of  seventeen  guns.  Shortly 
after  his  Excellency  entered  under  a  royal  sa 
lute,  with  blast  of  bugle  and  roll  of  drum  ;  the 
band  then  played  the  national  anthem. 

His  Excellency,  after  being  seated  a  few  mo 
ments,  bid  the  Rajah  rise,  and  addressed  him  in 
a  short  speech  in  Hindee,  of  which  this  is  the 
substance : 

"Forty  years  ago  the  British  Government 
made  a  treaty  with  your  ancestors.  You  have 
observed  its  conditions.  In  1857  you  behaved 
well ;  you  belong  to  the  tribe  of  Rajpoots,  cel 
ebrated  for  their  bravery.  Lord  Canning  gave 
you  jagheres  ;  Her  Majesty  now  confers  upon 
you  the  most  exalted  Star  of  India,  which  will 
raise  you  in  the  eyes  of  all  the  Rajahs  and 
Chiefs  of  Hindustan." 

The  Rajah,  in  his  reply,  acknowledged  his  ob 
ligations,  depreciated  his  services,  and  pledged 
his  life  to  the  British  Government.  His  Excel 
lency  then  put  the  Star  of  India  on  the  breast 
of  the  honored  Chief,  and  the  ceremony  was 
over.  After  a  moment's  pause  Sir  John  retired 
under  a  royal  salute ;  the  Rajah  soon  followed 
him,  under  the  salute  of  his  rank,  and  the  rest 
of  the  assembly  dispersed  in  due  order.  I 
paused  a  short  time  outside  the  tent,  to  see  the 
carnages  and  cavalcades  move  off.  Soon  the 


42  OUR    ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

long  trains  disappeared  in  the  distance,  covered 
with  a  cloud  of  dust  which  enveloped  the  whole 
horizon.  I  had  seen  much  of  high  life  in  India, 
and  was  impressed  not  merely  with  the  fine  per 
sons  and  brilliant  equipages  of  the  nobles,  but 
with  their  elegant  manners.  I  have  never  seen 
a  man  of  more  benign  aspect  and  more  courte 
ous  behavior  than  the  Maharajah  of  Benares. 
To  the  favored  Chief  the  day  was  the  proudest 
one  of  his  life ;  and  yet,  poor  man,  how  miser 
able  !  His  hands  are  bound  up ;  he  could  not 
handle  the  Star  he  had  received  ;  he  was  a  leper  ; 
he  would  give  millions,  and  honors,  and  offices, 
and  Star  besides,  to  have  the  disease  that  was 
consuming  him,  and  making  him  an  object  of 
horror  to  wife  and  children,  arrested. 

It  is  the  policy  of  the  British  Government 
when  they  unseat  native  chiefs  to  attach  them 
by  stipends,  and  pensions,  and  honors.  In  the 
Bengal  Presidency  alone  the  Government  treas 
ury  pays  annually  for  this  purpose  3,673,946 
rupees,  of  which  1,249,901  goes  to  the  family  of 
Qude. 

The  festivals  of  the  Hindoos  are  numerous, 
and  embrace  two  things,  worship  and  sport. 
The  festival  of  the  Dewalee  occurred  during  my 
stay  at  Benares.  It  is  the  festival  of  lamps,  and 
is  celebrated  in  honor  of  Lukshmee,  wife  of 


VOYAGE    TO   CALCUTTA.  43 

Vishnu,  and  the  goddess  of  wealth.  A  day  or 
two  before  the  festival  the  people  whitewash 
their  houses,  and  when  the  day  arrives  they 
bathe  themselves  and  put  on  clean  clothes.  In 
the  evenings  they  illuminate  their  premises. 
The  city  on  this  occasion  was  in  a  blaze,  the 
stores,  streets,  courts,  and  yards  were  filled  with 
little  lamps.  One  Christian,  I  am  sorry  to  say, 
lighted  up  his  compound.  On  this  day  mer 
chants  examine  their  accounts  to  see  what  have 
been  the  profits  and  losses  of  the  year,  and  wor 
ship  Lukshmee  with  their  account  books  before 
them.  In  the  evening  thieves  go  out  on  trial 
trips.  If  they  can  steal  any  thing  they  take  it 
as  a  good  omen  for  the  year ;  if  they  fail,  as  a 
bad  one.  Confectioners  make  various  sweet 
meats  and  preparations  of  fried  rice  to  sell  to 
the  children,  and  cowherds  paint  the  horns  of 
their  oxen  red.  The  chief  amusement  of  the 
festival  is  gambling,  which  is  done  openly. 

Almost  all  labor  is  done  with  human  muscles. 
In  leaving  Benares  we  employ  coolies  to  beai 
our  baggage  to  the  station.  Dr.  Butler  settled, 
but  the  bearers  were  not  satisfied.  An  old 
woman  of  the  company  pursued  him. 

"Why,"  said  he,  "I  have  given  you  the  wages 
of  a  day  for  a  few  minutes'  work." 

"  Ah,  but  you  have  a  Lord  Padre  in  company." 


44  OUR    ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

Such  was  their  idea  of  a  Bishop.  The  coolies 
elsewhere  claimed  that  I  was  equal  to  a  general, 
and  must  give  as  much  as  he.  But  now  we  are 
on  our  way  to  Allahabad,  the  capital  of  the 
North-West ;  we  go  by  railway  to  the  Jumna. 
Here  we  find  the  bridge  incomplete  by  reason 
of  the  difficulty  of  building  one  of  the  abut 
ments.  We  are  conveyed  over  the  stream  in  a 
steamer,  which  takes  soundings  every  few  min 
utes,  because  of  the  perpetual  shifting  of  the 
sands.  Here  we  see  multitudes  of  persons — 
men,  women,  and  children — carrying  sand  and 
mud  upon  their  heads,  in  little  baskets,  to  lay 
a  new  foundation  for  the  last  abutment  of  the 
bridge.  On  our  passage  we  were  introduced  to 
a  celebrated  Mohammedan,  Syud  Ahmud,  Prin 
cipal  Sudder  Ahmeen,  or  native  judge  of  Ally- 
ghur,  who,  in  the  last  rebellion,  held  the  district 
of  Bijnour  against  the  Nawab  of  Nujubabad 
until  obliged  to  take  refuge  in  the  cantonments 
of  Meerut.  In  consideration  of  his  services  he 
receives  a  pension  that  descends  to  his  eldest 
son.  He  is  writing  an  elaborate  commentary 
on  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures,  which  he 
holds  to  be  inspired  and  binding  on  all  Moham 
medans.  He  combats  the  arguments  of  Colenso 
with  great  ability.  He  differs  from  Christians 
only  in  this,  that  he  does  not  believe  Christ, 


VOYAGE    TO   CALCUTTA.  45 

though  a  prophet,  to  be  divine,  and  does  believe 
Mohammed  to  be  a  prophet.  We  were  met  at 
the  Ghat  by  the  Chuprassee  of  Hon.  Mr.  Muir, 
one  of  the  Governor-General's  council,  who 
placed  us  in  a  carriage  and  drove  us  to  his 
master's,  where  we  were  entertained  with  princely 
hospitality,  and  met  with  many  friends,  among 
them  Mr.  Owen,  of  the  American  Board.  On  the 
next  day  we  attended  a  meeting  of  the  Directors 
of  the  Bible  Society,  the  Tract  Society,  and  the 
Anglo-Vernacular  Education  Spciety.  Mr.  Mo- 
hun,  a  native  preacher,  insisting  on  the  Hindee 
language  instead  of  the  Ordu,  which  the  British 
are  trying  to  make  the  common  medium,  said : 
"You  have  taken  away  our  country;  will  you 
take  away  our  language  also  ?" 

We  visited  the  Christian  native  school  and 
village,  and  the  printing-office  of  the  American 
Mission,  where  wre  found  native  printers  publish 
ing,  on  their  own  account,  "Bunyan's  Pilgrim's 
Progress  "  and  "  Holy  War." 


in. 
FROM   ALLAHABAD   TO   AGRA. 

LEAVING  Allahabad  we  started  for  Cawn- 
pore,  1 20  miles  higher  up  on  the  railway. 
On  arriving  at  the  latter  city  we  hired  a  carriage, 
and  took  a  look  at  it.  It  contains  over  100,000 
people,  is  the  seat  of  a  large  trade  and  extensive 
manufactures,  and  the  terminus  of  the  Ganges 
Canal.  It  is  noted  for  an  outrage  committed  in 
the  rebellion  of  1857.  Gen.  Wheeler  took  refuge 
in  an  intrenchment  with  900  Europeans,  most 
of  whom  were  women  and  children.  He  was 
besieged  by  the  Rajah  of  Bithoor,  the  Nana  Sa 
hib.  When  the  Europeans  were  reduced  to 
one-half  their  original  number,  and  out  of  ammu 
nition,  they  surrendered,  under  a  promise  of  safe 
conduct  to  Allahabad,  but  the  men  were  treach 
erously  murdered,  and  the  women  and  children 
confined.  When  the  Nana  heard  of  the  approach 
of  Havelock,  he  caused  his  prisoners  to  be  mas 
sacred  and  thrown  into  a  well.  The  Sepoys 
46 


FROM  ALLAHABAD    TO  AGRA.  47 

refused  to  do  the  savage  work,  and  the  Nana 
sent  for  the  butchers  of  the  city  to  execute  his 
command.  Over  the  well  a  massive  and  beauti 
ful  monument,  with  a  richly  carved  screen  of 
stone,  has  been  erected,  and  around  this  a  park 
has  been  laid  out,  with  gravel  walks,  flower  beds, 
and  running  waters. 

I  had  the  pleasure  of  traveling  in  company  with 
Major  Thompson,  the  only  survivor  of  the  Cawn- 
pore  massacre.  He  escaped  by  swimming  for  miles 
down  the  Ganges,  fired  upon  from  the  shore. 

From  Cawnpore  we  proceed  to  Agra.  This  is 
a  city  of  100,000  inhabitants,  and,  until  lately, 
the  capital  of  the  North-West  Provinces.  It  was 
the  seat  of  Mohammedan  power  in  India  in  the 
days  of  the  great  Akbar.  It  is  one  of  the  keys 
of  Northern  Hindostan,  and  was  a  central  posi 
tion  in  the  rebellion  of  1857.  It  contains  a  fort 
a  mile  and  a  half  in  circuit,  with  battlements  70 
feet  high,  within  which  is  the  palace  of  Akbar, 
and  the  Pearl  Mosque.  Two  centuries  ago  this 
city  was  probably  ten  times  the  size  that  it  is  at 
present.  Cultivated  fields  now  occupy  what  once 
was  covered  with  palaces,  and  the  plowshare 
runs  over  the  remains  of  baths,  subterranean 
rooms,  and  other  ruins  of  former  palaces.  We 
were  received  very  kindly  by  Major  Ward,  Can 
tonment  magistrate,  who,  with  his  family,  had 


48  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

just  returned  from  the  hills,  whither  they  had 
found  it  necessary  to  resort  in  order  to  recu 
perate. 

The  most  remarkable  object  at  Agra  is  the 
Taj  Mahal.  It  is  perhaps  the  most  beautiful 
building  on  the  earth.  It  stands  on  the  left 
bank  of  the  Jumna,  two  miles  from  the  city  It 
rises  296  feet  from  the  platform  to  the  crescent, 
and  is  visible  a  distance  of  twenty  miles.  View 
ing  it  from  the  lofty  tomb  of  Akbar,  five  miles 
Distant,  it  looks  like  a  tent  of  snowy  whiteness 
and  rich  embroidery  let  down  from  heaven  into 
a  paradise  of  earth  to  be  the  audience-chamber 
of  an  angel  on  an  errand  of  mercy  to  men.  As 
you  approach  it  you  catch  different  views  of  it, 
but  all  charming.  And  now  you  are  at  the  gate, 
which  arrests  your  attention  at  once  by  the 
magnitude  of  its  walls,  the  harmony  of  its  pro 
portions,  and  the  chasteness  and  appropriate 
ness  of  its  ornaments.  Around  the  lofty  arch 
way  are  Arabic  letters  in  black  marble,  let  into 
the  red  granite,  constituting  chosen  texts  of  the 
Koran.  Passing  through  the  arch  you  find  your 
self  in  the  hall,  which  reminds  you  of  man} 
passages  of  Oriental  writings;  such  as,  "The 
gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail  against  it ;"  for, 
within  this  gate,  if  angels  were  sent  to  recover 
Eden,  Michael  might  hold  a  council  of  war,  and 


FROM  ALLAHABAD    TO  AGRA.  49 

from  it  send  forth  a  troop  to  sweep  the  demons 
from  the  plains  of  the  Ganges,  which  they  have 
so  long  polluted.  Ascending  successive  flights 
of  stone  steps,  we  gain  the  summit  of  the  inner 
wall  of  the  gate,  and  move  forward  to  the  center 
of  a  colonnade  supporting  a  row  of  domes.  Here 
we  sit  down,  fronting  the  Taj,  while  every  sense 
is  intoxicated  with  enjoyment.  Below  and  before 
us  is  a  broad  stream  of  water,  extending  from 
the  gate  to  the  platform  of  the  building,  like  a 
section  of  a  sea  of  glass  laid  as  a  pavement  for 
the  feet  of  the  blest,  and  from  whose  tranquil 
surface  the  beauties  of  the  Taj  are  doubled  by 
reflection.  On  each  side  of  this  stream  is  a 
gravel  walk,  shaded  by  a  row  of  cypress  trees, 
whose  perennial  verdure  is  in  striking  contrast 
with  the  crystal  surface  on  which  they  cast  their 
shadows.  Between  these  trees  the  choicest 
shrubs  bloom,  and  at  their  feet  humbler  plants, 
children  of  the  shade,  display  their  modest 
beauty.  Beyond  them,  on  both  sides,  out  to  the 
lofty  wall  of  the  inclosure,  the  seisam,  the  neim, 
the'  plantain,  the  orange,  the  lemon,  and  the 
palm  throw  their  shade,  diffuse  their  fragrance, 
and  drop  their  fruits  ;  while  here  and  there, 
where  the  sun  finds  a  free  passage  among  them 
for  his  beams,  enchanting  walks,  bordered  with 

richest  flowers,  invite  the  wandering  feet.     Birds 
A  4 


50  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

of  choicest  plumage  hop  from  branch  to  branch, 
while  their  companions  of  less  attractive  colors, 
but  sweeter  endowments,  fill  the  air  with  deli 
cious  song.  But  what,  above  all,  draws  the  atten 
tion  is  the  building,  whose  polished  marble  walls, 
standing  against  the  blue  of  heaven  and  the  green 
of  earth,  give  such  strange  charms  to  both,  and 
receive  from  the  contrast  even  more  than  they 
bestow.  Descending  to  the  hall  of  the  gate, 
we  pass  through  the  inner  arch,  and  proceed 
slowly  up  one  of  the  graveled  walks,  to  mingle 
with  the  pleasures  of  sense  the  higher  pleasures 
of  imagination  and  taste.  Now  we  are  upon  the 
lofty  platform.  What  breadth  of  beauty  !  To  be 
impressed  with  the  magnitude  of  the  edifice  we 
must  walk  the  platform  from  end  to  end,  and 
survey  those  massive  buildings  of  red  granite, 
which  rise  like  sentinels,  one  on  each  side,  corre 
sponding  exteriorly,  but  varied  interiorly,  to  adapt 
them  to  their  respective  uses,  the  one  being  the 
hall  of  audience,  the  other  the  hall  of  prayer. 
Then  mark  the  marble  minarets,  225  feet  high, 
one  at  each  corner,  rising  as  if  to  touch  the 
clouds,  and  help  us  heavenward  by  their  spiral 
staircases.  Now  we  go  from  minaret  to  minaret 
all  around  the  platform,  and  look  up  at  the  Taj, 
as  we  pass,  at  every  side.  No  matter  whether 
we  view  it  at  this  angle  or  at  that,  in  front  or 


FROM  ALLAHABAD    TO  AGRA.  51 

rear,  on  the  right  or  the  left,  in  one  light,  or  a 
brighter,  or  a  dimmer,  we  see  fullness  of  beauty. 
What  perfection  of  workmanship !  Look  all 
around  the  platform  up  the  walls  to  the  dome. 
There  is  no  crevice,  between  the  closely  fitted 
stones,  through  which  a  spear  of  grass  could 
find  an  entrance  for  its  slender  head.  The 
meanest  part  of  the  pavement  seems  to  have 
felt  the  touches  of  an  artist  worthy  to  build  a 
throne,  and  the  whole  work,  though  it  has  been 
exposed  to  the  sun  and  air  and  lightning  for 
centuries,  has  not  one  stain  upon  its  polished 
breast,  but  looks  like  a  gem  fresh  from  the  hands 
of  the  lapidary. 

What  combination  of  charms  !  as  if  the  archi 
tect  had  found  out  the  sec  ret  of  God  how  to 
blend  massiveness  with  delicacy,  unity  with 
variety,  simplicity  with  con  plexity,  grandeur 
with  beauty,  and  the  utmost  chasteness  of  de 
sign  with  surpassing  skill  of  execution. 

But  let  us  enter  the  Taj.  Now  new  charms 
break  upon  the  sight.  What  strength  and 
breadth  in  the  arches!  What  symmetry  through 
out!  What  richness  in  the  adornments!  Mark 
the  panels  of  the  wall,  how  the  marble  is  carved 
into  the  most  exquisite  forms  of  shrubs,  and 
flowers  in  alto-relievo.  Approach  nearer  and. 
see  that  no  two  are  alike,  yet  all  are  lovely. 


52  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

Take  any  one  for  a  minute  inspection,  that  you 
may  realize  how  grace  waits  upon  every  stem, 
and  leaf,  and  blossom,  and  bud,  and  curve.  Look 
from  the  panels  up  the  wall  to  the  bright  star 
that  beams  upon  you  from  the  dome,  and  ob 
serve  how  by  combinations  of  the  agate,  the 
amethyst,  the  blood-stone,  and  the  carnelian 
inlaid  in  the  marble,  the  artist  has  imitated  the 
richest  coloring  as  well  as  the  most  pleasing 
forms  of  nature,  and  you  will  be  at  a  loss  which 
most  to  admire,  the  exquisiteness  of  the  draw 
ings,  the  perfection  of  the  execution,  or  the  ap 
propriateness  of  the  designs.  It  is  surprising 
that  amid  so  much  spL  ndor  there  should  be 
nothing  gaudy  ;  amid  so  much  variety,  nothing 
crowded ;  and  amid  such  profusion  of  workman 
ship,  nothing  imperfect.  Pass  your  finger  over 
any  part  of  any  flower,  or  place  your  microscope 
upon  it,  and  you  will  scarce  detect  where  gem 
meets  gem  to  blend  their  colors,  and  show  that 
art  may  mold  the  stones  of  the  mountains  into 
combinations  charming  as  those  which  Nature 
weaves  to  adorn  the  garment  on  her  breast. 

But  look  at  that  octagonal  palisade  in  the 
center.  Each  side  is  a  block  of  marble  fretted 
by  Florentine  art,  and  bordered  with  mosaic, 
the  whole  constituting  a  screen  which  for  its 
size,  and  for  the  depth,  durability,  and  variety, 


FROM  ALLAHABAD    TO    AGRA.  53 

and  richness  of  its  carving,  surpasses  any  thing 
of  the  kind. 

Enter  its  gate  and  you  pass  from  the  pleas 
ures  of  imagination  to  the  higher  ones,  awakened 
by  moral  beauty.  The  Taj  is  a  tomb.  It  is  the 
testimony  of  a  rational  soul  to  its  own  immor 
tality.  It  is  the  sorrowing  past  pointing  onward 
to  the  happy  future.  It  is  the  memorial  of  love, 
a  love  inspired  by  beauty  and  a  talent,  unlike 
Cleopatra's,  inspired  by  goodness.  It  is  associ 
ated  with  purity  too,  for  it  is  the  memorial  of 
wedded  love. 

Here  is  the  tomb  of  the  Queen  Moomtaj-i- 
mahul,  Ranoo  Begum,  for  whom  the  building  was 
erected,  and  by  its  side  that  of  her  royal  husband, 
Shah  Jehan — king  of  the  world — who  erected  it. 
Both  simple,  white,  not  obtrusive,  but  concealed, 
like  violets  in  a  grove,  to  be  sought  for  in  order 
to  be  seen.  Nothing  strikes  us  more  than  the 
absence  of  all  imagery  here.  Not  a  statue,  nor 
a  statuette,  nor  a  painting  of  beast  or  idol,  or 
man  or  angel — not  a  name,  not  even  on  the 
tombs,  except  the  thousand  names  of  God  in 
black  marble  inlaid  in  the  white  on  the  monu 
ment  of  the  Queen  ;  as  if  the  artist  had  woven 
and  adorned  a  tent  for  God,  but  determined  that 
nothing  should  share  the  space  with  him,  or 
divert  attention  from  his  presence.  As  we  stand 


54  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

and  muse,  the  heart  swells,  and  the  thought 
wells  up,  Lo,  God  is  here !  and  we  feel  as  if  it 
would  be  a  relief  to  weep. 

We  go  out  and  sit  down  on  the  front  steps, 
while  the  sun  fringes  the  West  with  those  orange 
robes  so  peculiar  to  the  lands  of  the  East.  The 
fragrant  air  is  stirred  only  by  the  evening  flutter 
of  the  birds  which  serve  to  mark  the  stillness, 
and  silence,  and  peace  that  reign  around.  The 
subdued  light  seems  to  add  new  charms  to  the 
gorgeous  coloring  of  the  Oriental  flowers,  while 
the  water  that  wells  up  from  the  Jumna  and 
through  its  polished  basin  rolls  in  a  calm,  broad 
crystal  stream  from  the  platform  to  the  gate, 
through  the  midst  of  the  garden,  reminds  us  of 
the  river  of  life.  Soon  the  moon  comes  forth 
attended  by  her  train,  showing  the  beauties  of 
the  Taj,  softened  in  her  beams.  Now  let  us 
enter  the  building  again.  The  magistrate,  who 
kindly  attends  us,  has,  without  our  knowledge, 
sent  thirteen  or  fourteen  coolies  before  us,  to 
stand  in  the  arches  above  and  below.  At  a 
signal  each  kindles  a  Bengal  light,  in  whose 
mingled  blaze  the  brilliant  stones  and  polished 
marble  are  reflected.  Presently,  as  the  lights 
burn  dim,  and  while  we  stand  within  the  pali 
sade,  beside  the  official  tombs,  looking  up  at 
the  star  of  the  dome  directly  overhead,  a  native, 


FROM  ALLAHABAD    TO  AGRA.  55 

who  had  gone  down  into  the  dark  vault  in  which 
the  ashes  of  the  noble  dead  are  inurned,  utters 
a  few  solemn  words  that  come  up  like  an  organ 
peal,  and  go  echoing  from  arch  to  arch,  majestic 
as  distant  thunder,  but  varied  as  the  aerial  harp, 
like  the  spirit  of  the  past  coming  up  from  the 
grave,  and  lingering  around  the  memorials  of  its 
love  before  it  reascends  to  God. 

We  seem  to  be  in  the  presence  of  the  charm 
ing  Momtaza  Tumanee — she  of  the  divinely  del 
icate  face,  with  an  eye  more  beautiful  than  the 
evening  star,  and  locks  clustering  on  her  bosom 
more  decorative  than  the  feathers  of  the  pea 
cock.  We  call  to  mind  that  terrible  day  when 
the  palace  was  oppressed,  and  the  servants  were 
afraid,  and  the  physicians  were  assembled,  and 
the  ministers'  wives  gathered  silently  in  the 
chamber,  and  the  priests  with  tremulous  voices 
read  prayers,  and  the  trembling  nurses  rubbed 
the  feet  and  hands  of  the  poor  Empress,  and 
the  Emperor  racked  his  mind  for  words  of  solace 
and  comfort  to  the  Queen,  and  when,  at  last, 
she  ordered  her  gems  and  jewels  to  be  brought 
to  her  bedside,  and  said:  "Pardon  all  my  faults, 
and  every  unkind  word.  I  have  lived  with  you 
through  joy  and  sorrow.  God  has  made  you  a 
great  Emperor,  and  given  you  worlds  to  rule, 
and  sons  and  daughters  to  perpetuate  your 


56  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS.  + 

name;  but  novy  I  must  leave  you,  and  be  a 
traveler  to  worlds  unknown.  Build  me  such  a 
tomb  as  the  world  never  saw."  And  the  parting 
husband  and  wife  wept  and  convulsively  laughed 
and  cried  as  they  talked  of  death,  and  the  prom 
ise  was  made  and  received. 

Round  all  things  human  cluster  painful  asso 
ciations.  Passing  out  of  the  building  a  native 
says:  "Alas!  how  many  admire  this  structure 
who  consider  not  the  tears  and  toils  in  which  it 
was  built !"  During  seventeen  years  20,000  work 
men  were  forced  to  labor  upon  it  without  com 
pensation,  and  even  their  rations  were  curtailed 
by  rapacious  officials,  so  that  great  distress  and 
unusual  mortality  prevailed  among  them.  Could 
this  beautiful  marble  tell  its  own  story,  it  might 
be  one  of  sighs  and  tears.  The  noblest  produc 
tions  in  art,  in  science,  and  in  song  are  generally 
pressed  from  crushed  souls.  Besides  this  en 
forced  labor,  $8,750,000  was  taken  from  the 
capital  of  the  country  when  money  was  from 
three  to  five  times  its  present  value. 

There  is  another  painful  consideration  con 
nected  with  the  Taj.  Though  complete  in  itself, 
it  is  only  a  part  of  the  design  of  the  Emperor. 
He  intended  to  erect  a  tomb  for  himself  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  river  of  equal  beauty  and 
magnificence  with  his  wife's,  and  to  connect  the 


&ROM  ALLAHABAD    TO  AGRA.  57 

two  by  a  bridge  with  railings  of  solid  silver ; 
but  the  children,  on  whose  account,  in  accord 
ance  with  their  mother's  dying  request,  he 
abstained  from  a  second  marriage,  proved  in- 
grates,  inaugurated  civil  wars,  imprisoned  their 
aged  father,  put  out  his  eyes,  and  crippled  his 
empire.  Rarely  ;s  it  given  in  this  world  to  per 
fect  a  grand  design. 


IV. 

AGRA  TO  DELH:. 

FROM  Agra  we  went  by  Ghary  to  Futtepore 
Sikra.  On  the  way  we  were  hindered  by  a 
balky  horse ;  which  reminds  us  that  all  the  horses 
in  India  are  poor,  excepj  such  as  are  imported 
from  Cabul  or  from  England,  and  these  can  not 
perform  much  service  on  account  of  the  heat  of 
the  country.  They  are  seldom  driven  more  than 
ten  miles  at  a  time.  A  syce  attends  each  horse, 
running  behind  the  carriage.  A  syce  can  go 
much  farther  in  a  day  than  any  horse.  When 
the  horse  has  completed  his  journey  the  syce 
feeds  him,  covers  him,  and  walks  him  home.  If 
you  keep  two  horses  in  India  you  must  have  two 
syces  ;  but  it  must  be  remembered  that  the  syce 
cuts  the  grass  for  the  horse  the  year  round.  Hay 
is  not  provided,  as  it  is  not  necessary.  The 
horses  to  be  hired  at  the  livery  stable  or  dak  are 
very  poorly  managed.  We  seldom  hired  a  horse 
ghary  without  having  trouble  and  delay.  The 


AGRA    TO  DELHI.  59 

driver  often  used  the  poor  brute  shamefully,  and 
in  return  it  displayed  its  obstinacy. 

The  distance  from  Agra  to  Futtepore  Sikra  is 
twenty-two  miles.  The  road  is  bordered  for  some 
distance  with  stately  trees.  This  place  was  the 
Buckingham  Palace  of  Akbar,  deservedly  stir- 
named  the  Great ;  for  he  was  the  noblest  of  all 
the  emperors  of  Hindostan.  He  diminished 
taxes,  tolerated  all  religions,  promoted  agricul 
ture,  extended  commerce,  improved  the  roads, 
reformed  the  government,  and  extended  the 
boundaries  of  his  empire. 

We  approach  the  palace  through  a  mass  of 
ruins,  which  indicate  the  magnificence  that 
reigned  here  at  a  former  period.  The  buildings 
are  on  a  grand  scale,  and  the  views  on  all  sides 
are  enchanting.  In  passing  around  the  palace 
three  or  four  objects  were  particularly  noticeable: 
the  stables  and  out-houses  indicated  a  large  stud 
of  horses  and  flock  of  elephants ;  the  platform 
where  the  monarch  sat  to  watch  the  boys  diving 
for  the  coin  he  threw  into  the  water;  the  build 
ing  in  which  the  ladies  of  the  Zenana  played 
hide-and-seek  ;  the  hall  in  which  the  emperor  re 
ceived  ambassadors  ;  the  diwan  e'khaz,  in  which 
he  held  his  cabinet  counsels ;  the  diwan  e'am, 
in  which,  each  morning,  he  made  his  public  ap 
pearance,  and  the  court  where  he  sat  before 


6O  OUR   ORIENTAL   MISSIONS. 

his  Bachise  board,  consisting  of  blocks  of  black 
and  white  marble,  to  play  backgammon  with 
his  prime  minister,  using  his  wives  for  ivory 
blocks,  and  making  them  trot  from  square  to 
square  as  the  moves  were  made,  are  all  well 
preserved.  We  noticed,  also,  a  separate  build 
ing  in  the  Zenana,  covered  with  paintings  in 
fresco  by  Persian  artists,  for  a  Christian  wife. 
She  was  a  Portuguese,  and  is  said  to  have  had 
great  power  over  him.  Among  the  decorations 
of  religious  meaning  in  her  apartments  some  are 
Christian.  At  the  foot  of  the  hill  is  the  small 
village  of  Futtepore,  which  was  probably  built 
of  materials  gathered  from  the  ruins.  The  pal 
ace  was  completed  in  1/51.  The  architecture  is 
massive,  Saracenic,  and  every  part  of  it  is  elab 
orately  carved.  The  grandest  part  is  the  Dur 
gah  or  tomb  of  the  Sheikh  Selim  Chiste.  This, 
and  the  canopy  over  it,  is  of  mother  of  pearl,  the 
floor  is  of  jasper,  and  the  walls  are  of  marble 
inlaid  with  carnelian.  It  is  inclosed  by  screens 
of  marble  of  great  richness.  It  stands  in  a 
paved  court  428  feet  by  406  feet,  which  is  en 
tered  by  a  gateway  120  feet  high.  In  its  center 
is  a  fountain  and  tank,  and  on  one  side  a  mosque 
with  triple  dome.  The  tomb  was  covered  with 
fresh  flowers,  and  decorated  with  shreds  of 
cloth,  so  that  you  might  imagine  it  to  be,  as 


AGRA    TO    DELHI.  6 1 

it  probably  was  to  thousands,  an  object  of 
worship. 

The  palace  is  occupied  by  an  agent  of  the 
Government,  who  furnishes  entertainment  for 
visitors  at  reasonable  rates.  After  tiffin,  while 
we  were  seated  for  repose,  a  native  brought  to 
us  a  tiger  which  he  had  just  caught.  It  was 
young,  and  we  took  it  in  our  hands,  but,  as  it 
showed  its  teeth,  we  were  very  glad  to  get  rid  of 
it.  The  happy  captor  doubtless  soon  slew  his 
prize,  and  received  from  Government  a  reward 
for  his  scalp.  The  incident  reminded  us  of  the 
story  that  Selim,  the  holy  man,  first  obtained  his 
reputation  by  his  intimacy  with  tigers,  several  of 
which  lived  with  him  in  a  cave  on  the  spot  now 
occupied  by  his  tomb.  We  returned  in  good 
time  to  Agra.  Next  day  we  went  to  Secundra, 
the  seat  of  a  large  orphanage  under  the  patron 
age  of  the  Church  of  England.  We  attended 
the  Church  service  in  the  morning,  and  break 
fasted  afterward  with  Mr.  Barbul,  the  missionary. 

The  printing-press  of  this  mission  occupies 
the  tomb  of  the  Christian  wife  of  Akbar,  Begum 
Munni.  We  next  proceeded  to  Akbar's  tomb, 
near  by.  This  is  in  a  square  garden  inclosed  with 
a  wall  pierced  by  four  gateways  of  red  sandstone 
seventy  feet  high,  one  on  each  side,  whence  four 
stone  walks  lead  to  an  elevated  platform  from 


62  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

which  the  tomb  rises.  This  platform  is  of  solid 
stone,  and  four  hundred  feet  square.  The  tomb 
is  square  also,  three  hundred  feet  on  each  side, 
and  rises  in  five  terraces  to  the  height  of  one 
hundred  feet.  The  upper  story  is  of  white 
marble,  the  rest  of  red  sandstone.  From  the 
main  entrance  we  proceed  to  a  vaulted  hall  in  the 
center,  where  the  sarcophagus  of  Akbar  is  seen. 

On  the  top  of  the  edifice  there  is  a  platform 
open  to  the  sky  surrounded  by  a  marble  screen 
richly  carved,  and  on  this  platform,  beneath  a 
marble  pavilion,  is  the  second  or  official  tomb. 
This  is  beautifully  carved.  There  are  turrets  at 
each  corner  of  this  terrace.  From  this  elevated 
spot  we  had  a  view  of  Agra  and  of  the  Taj. 

Returning  to  Agra  we  dined  with  Rev.  Mr. 
Grierson,  of  the  Baptist  mission,  and  in  the 
evening  preached  in  his  chapel  to  a  good  audi 
ence  of  citizens  and  soldiers.  Next  day  we 
started  for  Delhi,  having  a  good  railway  all  the 
distance.  We  had  been  invited  in  advance  to 
enjoy  the  hospitalities  of  Mr.  Parry,  manager  of 
the  Delhi  Bank,  and  his  chuprassie  met  us  at 
the  station.  His  residence  is  in  an  extensive 
garden,  and  was  formerly  the  palace  of  Begum 
Sombre.  Our  first  look  at  Delhi  was  through 
the  Chandnee  Chowk,  a  broad  and  beautiful  ave 
nue,  a  mile  long  and  120  feet  wide,  comparable, 


AGRA    TO  DELHI.  63 

almost,  to  the  Parisian  boulevards,  and  inter 
sected  by  a  canal  or  aqueduct  in  the  center.  It 
is  ornamented  with  trees,  and,  at  times,  crowded 
with  visitors.  Many  of  the  buildings  are  histor 
ical;  among  them,  we  were  pointed  to  the 
mosque  of  Rooshun-ood-Dowlah,  where  Nadir 
Shah  sat  during  the  massacre  of  the  city,  in 
which  from  800,000  to  1,000,000  people  were 
murdered,  and  where,  too,  he  received  Mahmoud 
Shah,  the  emperor,  accompanied  by  his  nobles, 
who,  bursting  into  tears,  besought  him  to  spare 
the  lives  of  his  people.  From  this  city  the  Per 
sian  conqueror  is  said  to  have  carried  away  fifty 
millions  of  dollars  in  money,  besides  gold  and 
silver  plate  worth  millions  more,  jewels  of  inesti 
mable  value,  and  the  peacock  throne,  valued  at 
six  million  pounds  sterling.  Along  this  street 
you  see  stores  of  every  description,  and  artisans 
at  work  manufacturing  those  articles  for  which 
the  city  is  so  famous.  Its  works  in  gold  and 
silver  are  unsurpassed,  and  its  shawls  and  scarfs 
are  surpassed  only  by  those  of  Umritsir  and 
Lahore. 

The  modern  city  is  on  the  western  bank  of 
the  Jumna,  and  was  founded  by  Shah  Jehan  in 
1620.  It  is  surrounded  by  brick  walls,  and  is 
about  seven  miles  in  circumference.  There  is 
another  fine  street,  five  furlongs  in  length,  and 


64  OUR   ORIENTAL   MISSIONS. 

ninety  feet  in  breadth,  leading  from  the  Palace 
to  the  Delhi  gate. 

In  the  evening  we  took  a  drive  to  see  some 
noticeable  objects.  We  first  went  to  the  arse 
nal  so  memorable  for  its  connection  with  .the 
mutiny  of  1857.  The  mutineers  from  the  first 
fixed  their  minds  upon  Delhi,  because  it  was  the 
richest  city  in  the  North- West  Provinces,  well 
walled  and  fortified,  and  possessed  of  the  grand 
est  arsenal  and  the  richest  treasury  in  Upper 
India.  The  British  were  taken  by  surprise  when 
the  troops  mutinied  and  shot  down  their  officers, 
and  all  other  Europeans  within  their  reach.  A 
few  English  officers  were  in  the  magazine  when 
it  was  assailed.  The  spot  was  pointed  out  where 
Forrest  and  Buckley  together  loaded  and  fired  in 
rapid  succession  four  rounds  from  three  six- 
pounders  and  a  howitzer,  which  had  been  hastily 
got  into  position  to  command  the  gate  of  the 
magazine.  They  were  fired  on  by  hundreds  at 
a  distance  of  fifty  yards.  As  the  last  round  was 
fired,  musket  balls  disabled  both  of  the  gunners. 
Lieutenant  Willoughby  then  gave  orders  to  fire 
the  magazine,  and  they  were  obeyed.  We  next 
proceed  to  the  point  where  General  Barnard,  on 
his  approach  to  the  siege,  found  the  rebels 
posted,  and  whence  he  drove  them  within  the 
walls ;  next  to  the  crest,  a  mile  and  a  half  from 


AGRA    TO  DELHI.  65 

the  city,  taken  up  by  the  British  forces  when 
they  commenced  the  siege  ;  then  to  the  point 
on  which  they  planted  three  batteries,  half  a 
mile  nearer,  to  play  day  and  night  upon  the  city 
wall,  the  mutineers  all  the  while  replying  with 
three  batteries ;  then  we  proceeded  to  the  breach 
in  the  wall,  near  the  Cashmere  gate,  through 
which  the  troops  rushed  after  it  was  blown  open. 
The  troops  once  entered,  marched  along  the 
ramparts  to  the  Moree  bastion  and  Cabul  gate, 
where  the  carnage  was  the  most  fearful,  and  the 
victory  decisive. 

After  this  we  took  a  drive  into  the  gardens  of 
the  late  King  of  Delhi. 

Next  day,  taking  an  early  start,  we  drove  out 
to  see  the  Khuttub  Minar,  the  grandest  column 
of  the  world.  It  is  eleven  miles  from  the  city. 
The  drive  is  a  gloomy  one,  for  it  is  amid  ruins 
and  tombs.  Arches,  walls,  columns  crumbling, 
piles  of  masonry  are  to  be  seen  in  every  di 
rection  ;  grass  and  shrubbery  make  their  way 
through  the  rubbish,  and  deserted  buildings,  and 
tombs ;  but  the  land,  for  an  immense  circuit, 
seems  spoiled,  since  the  plow  could  hardly  make 
a  passage  through  the  bricks,  sandstone,  and 
mortar;  and  jackals  and  foxes  have  undisturbed 
possession.  All  this  is  easily  accounted  for. 
The  city  has  been  frequently  moved  to  gratify 
A  5 


66  OUR    ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

the  vanity  of  monarchs,  and  frequently  destroyed 
to  satisfy  the  ambition  of  conquerors  and  the 
love  of  spoil.  We  stop,  after  driving  six  miles, 
to  see  the  tomb  of  Suftar  Jung,  the  founder  of 
the  royal  house  of  Oude.  It  is  very  fine,  and 
similar  to  the  Taj,  though  by  no  means  equal 
to  it.  From  the  top  of  it  the  Khuttub  Minar  is 
visible,  though  we  must  drive  five  miles  further 
to  reach  it.  It  is  a  round  pillar  240  feet  high, 
thirty-five  feet  at  the  base,  but  diminishing  grad 
ually  to  about  ten  feet  at  the  top.  It  has  five 
stories,  decreasing  in  height  in  the  same  propor 
tion  as  the  diameter  of  the  shaft.  The  three  low 
est  stories  are  of  red  sandstone,  fluted  and  belted 
by  bands  of  Arabic  inscriptions ;  the  two  upper 
stories  are  of  white  marble.  Each  story  has  a 
stone  balustrade,  and  a  richly  sculptured  and 
heavy  cornice.  We  ascend  the  shaft  by  a  wind 
ing  staircase  of  378  steps.  Returning  to  the 
base  we  reviewed  it  again  at  different  distances. 
When  it  was  built,  by  whom,  and  for  what  pur 
pose,  are  questions  to  which  we  could  get  no 
answers,  but  the  presumption  is,  I  think,  that  it 
was  begun,  if  not  completed,  by  the  Hindoos, 
and  adopted  and  modified  by  the  Mohammedans. 
A  short  distance  to  the  North  of  it  is  the  be 
ginning  of  another  shaft  of  larger  dimensions. 
Near  by  are  the  ruins  of  a  mSst  gorgeous  Hin- 


AGRA    TO  DELHI.  6/ 

doo  temple,  which  seems  subsequently  to  have 
been  changed  into  a  mosque.  The  arcades  are 
supported  by  hundreds  of  columns  all  tastefully 
and  elaborately  carved. 

Returning  to  Delhi  we  drove  directly  to  the 
Jumna  Musjid.  It  stands  at  the  junction  of 
four  streets,  and  on  an  elevated  platform.  We 
pass  unobstructed  up  the  broad  flight  of  steps, 
and  walk  the  courts,  and  ascend  one  of  the  min 
arets  to  survey  the  famous  city.  This  mosque 
is  perhaps  regarded  by  the  Mohammedans  with 
more  pride  and  veneration  than  any  building  in 
India.  It  is  worthy  of  admiration  alike  for  its 
magnitude,  its  beauty,  and  its  associations.  We 
reached  home  weary  and  hungry.  After  dinner 
we  go  to  the  site  of  the  palace.  The  outer  wall 
is  unimpaired,  and  the  massive  gates  stand,  but 
the  palace  is  demolished.  The  scene,  however, 
presents  other  things  well  worthy  of  attention — 
the  pearl  mosque,  the  throne-room,  and  the  diwan. 
The  mosque  is  a  most  exquisite  piece  of  work 
manship.  It  is  of  the  purest  white  marble,  with 
saracenic  arches  and  three  domes.  It  is  beau 
tiful  from  its  form  and  portions,  but  without 
any  gaudy  or  doubtful  ornament,  simple,  pure, 
chaste,  stainless — fitted  to  be  a  shrine  for  the 
Holy  One. 

The  diwan  is  an  arcade  formed  of  three  rows 


68  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

of  arches,  with  a  marble  pavilion  in  the  center, 
inlaid  with  gold  and  precious  stones.  The  roof 
is  said  to  have  been  solid  silver,  but  when  the 
Mahrattas  took  Delhi  they  tore  it  off  and  bore  it 
away  as  spoil.  It  is  now  of  some  other  mate 
rial.  The  columns  are  very  massive  and  grand. 
Here  the  ancient  Mogul  emperors  gave  audience 
to  embassadors,  and  received  their  obeisance. 
It  is  now  occupied  as  a  museum. 


V. 
A  VIEW  OF  OUR  INDIAN  MISSIONS. 

GENERAL   REMARKS. 

W'E  rarely  feel  much  interest  in  what  we  do 
not  see.  Next  to  seeing  is  the  report  of 
an  eye-witness.  With  a  view  to  awaken  in  our 
brethren  a  deeper  interest  in  the  missions  they 
sustain,  I  undertake  a  pen  portrait  of  our  mission 
stations  in  Hindostan. 

In  the  year  1857  Rev.  Dr.  Butler  was  sent 
out  to  found  an  Indian  mission  for  the  Meth 
odist  Episcopal  Church.  He  was  the  man  for 
the  work — prudent,  pious,  sagacious,  with  a 
courteous  bearing,  a  just  self-respect,  an  enter 
prising  spirit,  and  a  profound  regard  to  the 
authorities  by  whom  he  was  commissioned.  By 
his  selection  of  a  field,  choice  of  stations,  man 
agement  of  the  finances,  and  general  oversight 
of  the  work,  he  evinced  eminent  abilities  ;  and 
although,  in  consequence  of  a  want  of  facility  in 
inspiring  in  others  the  spirit  of  obedience  and 

69 


7O  OUR   ORIENTAL   MISSIONS. 

respect  for  official  superiors,  which  was  both  a 
sentiment  and  habit  with  himself,  and  did  not, 
perhaps,  call  forth  the  affection  of  his  fellow- 
laborers  to  the  extent  to  which  he  was  entitled 
to  it,  yet  he  could  but  provoke  their  admiration 
at  the  proud  monument  which,  in  departing  from 
India,  he  left  behind  him. 

In  October,  1864,  he  met  me  at  Calcutta,  and 
proceeded  with  me  by  railway  up  the  Ganges, 
about  eleven  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  to  Delhi. 

FROM    DELHI    TO    MEERUT. 

Leaving  the  railway  at  this  celebrated  city  at 
n  o'clock,  P.  M.,  we  started  by  horse  ghary 
to  Meerut.  As  the  traveling  in  Hindostan,  in 
consequence  of  the  heat,  is  by  night,  the  con 
veyances  afford  facilities  for  sleeping.  On  our 
way  we  encountered  a  cyclone  of  dust,  so  dense 
as  to  be  almost  suffocating.  The  driver,  evi 
dently  alarmed,  stopped,  and  inquired  what 
should  be  done ;  but  he  was  told  to  keep  on  as 
long  as  he  could  find  the  road.  In  about  an 
hour  we  got  out  of  the  circle. 

MEERUT   TO    BIJNOUR. 

After  taking  a  cup  of  tea  at  Meerut,  we 
started  by  dhooley  dak  for  Bijnour. 

The  dhooley  is  not,  as  Burke  supposed,  a  wild 


A    VIEW  OF  OUR   INDIAN  MISSIONS.  *]\ 

animal,  but  a  cheap  palanquin.  It  is  carried  by 
four  men,  who  are  relieved  every  half  mile  by 
four  others,  preceded  by  a  musalche,  bearing  a 
lamp,  for  the  double  purpose  of  lighting  the  way 
and  keeping  off  wild  beasts,  and  followed  by  a 
bangy  wallah,  carrying  the  luggage  on  a  bamboo, 
and  are  discharged  after  running  about  ten  miles, 
satisfied  with  about  eight  cents  wages  each  and 
bukshish,  though  sometimes  they  will  run  two 
chowkies  for  double  pay.  Experienced  travelers 
can  sleep  in  the  dhooley,  but  not  others.  The 
noise  of  the  bearers,  as  if  distressed,  the  motion 
of  the  vehicle  as  they  rushed  forward,  the  shift 
ing  of  the  bamboo  from  shoulder  to  shoulder,  the 
torch,  every  now  and  then  flashing  in  the  face, 
the  conversation  of  the  coolies,  and  their  shouts 
when  they  feared  a  wild  beast,  or  approached  a 
relay,  drove  sleep  from  my  eyes  and  slumber 
from  my  eyelids.  When  morning  came  we  were 
threading  our  way,  through  water  and  mud,  over 
stubble  ground,  newly  plowed  fields,  along  hedges 
and  mud  walls.  The  opening  of  the  Ganges  ca 
nal  on  the  country,  in  consequence  of  the 
drought,  so  impaired  our  path  that  we  did  not 
reach  Bijnour  until  ten  o'clock  next  day. 

When  for  the  firrt  time  I  saw  the  dhooley,  I 
thought,  what  a  mercy  that  I,  instead  of  some  of 
my  colleagues,  was  sent!  But  when  T  saw  my 


72  OUR    ORIENTAL    MISSIONS. 

companion  appropriating  the  shelves  in  my  ve 
hicle,  on  which  he  was  stowing  away  bread, 
bacon,  pots,  and  kettles,  I  found  that  I  was  to  be 
brought  up  to  a  respectable  weight  avoirdupois, 
and  that  our  two  sets  of  coolies  had  their  burdens 
equalized.  While  we  cooked  breakfast  by  the 
roadside,  the  coolies,  seated  some  distance  off  in 
a  circle,  smoked  the  hooka,  the  stem  of  which 
they  passed  from  mouth  to  mouth. 

BIJNOUR    AND    ITS    OUT-STATIONS. 

Arriving  at  Bijnour,  a  provincial  city  of  Rohil- 
cund,  we  were  kindly  met  by  Rev.  I.  L.  Hauser, 
the  missionary.  Our  first  attention  is  given  to 
the  school.  The  average  attendance  is  eighty- 
nine,  all  boys.  There  are  five  teachers  ;  namely, 
two  Hindoos,  two  Mohammedans,  and  one  Chris 
tian.  The  head  master  is  a  Hindoo,  but  the 
school  is  opened  with  prayer  and  the  reading  of 
the  Bible.  Pagan  and  Mussulman  teachers  will 
teach  the  Holy  Scriptures  as  ours  do  Homer. 
An  examination  of  the  classes  in  the  ordinary 
branches  and  the  Bible  was  quite  satisfactory. 
The  mission-house,  of  brick  covered  with  cement, 
sixty-four  feet  by  seventy-four,  with  verandas, 
stands  upon  a  tract  of  eighteen  acres.  It  cost 
$3,250,  and  is  valued  at  $2,650.  Near  by  is  a 
bungalow  belonging  to  the  mission,  situated  on  a 


A    VIEW  OF  OUR  INDIAN  MISSIONS.          73 

tract  of  two  acres.  Cost,  $425  ;  'present  value, 
$300.  A  school-house,  sixty-four  feet  front  by 
seventy-four  deep  in  the  clear,  with  veranda  be 
fore  and  behind,  each  ten  feet  wide,  is  building. 
Its  main  walls  are  two  feet  thick,  and  it  stands  on 
an  inclosure  of  two  acres.  There  are  two  native 
helpers'  houses,  which  cost  $150,  now  worth  $75- 
The  chapel,  used  as  a  school-house,  is  worth 
$100.  There  is  also  chapel  furniture,  $42  ;  school 
requisites,  $160;  tents,  etc.,  $78;  other  property, 
$10.  The  whole  land  belonging  to  this  mission 
is  twenty-two  acres.  The  deeds  are  quit-claim, 
and  subject  to  an  annual  rent.  The  Government 
gives  $1,875  toward  the  erection  of  a  school- 
house,  and  requires  the  rest  to  be  paid  by  sub 
scription.  This  building  is  suitable  and  substan 
tial,  and  if  finished  according  to  the  original 
plan  will  be  ornamental.  In  taking  subscriptions 
for  it,  the  preacher  promised  that  it  should  be 
used  for  scholastic  purposes  only,  his  object  be 
ing  twofold ;  namely,  to  increase  the  liberality 
of  the  non-Christian  citizens,  and  put  the  Chris 
tian  under  bonds  to  build  a  church. 

The  number  of  members  at  this  station  is 
ten,  excluding  the  missionary  and  his  wife,  all 
adults  ;  there  are  seven  probationers,  also  adults. 
Class-meetings  and  prayer-meetings  and  Sabbath- 
school  are  held  weekly  ;  the  last  numbers  but 


74  OUR    ORIENTAL   MISSIONS. 

twenty-four  pupils.  Love-feast  once  a  quarter. 
On  Sabbath  we  have  English  preaching-  at  half- 
past  7,  A.  M. ;  native  Sabbath-school,  half-past  9, 
A.  M.  ;  Hindoo  preaching,  5,  P.  M.  Wednesday 
evening,  English  Bible-class.  Mrs.  H.  teaches  a 
school  of  native  girls  at  her  own  house.  There 
were  six  baptisms  during  the  year.  There  is  an 
English  congregation  of  about  twenty-six  persons. 
I  took  occasion  during  my  stay  here  to  visit  the 
house  of  a  native  gentleman  who  belongs  to  the 
merchant  caste,  and  has  grown  rich  by  lending 
money  at  from  23  to  30  per  cent,  per  annum. 
In  it  I  found  a  room  consecrated  to  his  idol,  and 
on  that  part  of  the  roof  which  covered  it  I  was 
cautioned  not  to  step,  as  it  is  holy  ground.  The 
gardens  were  showy,  and  abounded  in  marigolds. 
On  the  way  back  we  passed  a  beautiful  tomb,  in 
closed  with  brick,  planted  with  flowers,  and  built 
for  a  courtesan  by  her  Mohammedan  admirers, 
who,  if  their  wives  were  to  die,  would  probably 
show  but  little  respect  to  their  graves.  Our 
next  visit  was  to  the  jail,  to  which  the  magis 
trate  kindly  attended  us.  An  armed  guard  fol 
lowed  us  from  department  to  department,  and 
whenever  we  stopped  drew  up  behind  us,  to  pre 
vent  an  attack,  a  precaution  as  necessary  as  if 
we  were  moving  among  tigers.  The  prisoners 
are  engaged  in  various  manufactures.  For  minor 


A    VIEW  OF  OUR  INDIAN  MISSIONS.          ?$ 

offenses  whipping  is  the  penalty,  as  confinement, 
if  caste  be  preserved,  is  not  dreaded  ;  some,  in 
deed,  are  pleased  with  it,  and  one,  on  being  dis 
charged,  asked  in  distress  for  what  offense  he 
was  turned  away.  Cattle  stealing  is  practiced 
extensively  by  companies  at  great  distances,  who 
exchange  spoil  with  each  other. 

Before  leaving  I  delivered  a  discourse — Mr.  H. 
interpreting — and  administered  baptism  to  four 
persons,  and  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's-Sup- 
per  to  thirteen  natives  and  some  others.  While 
seated  in  the  parlor  one  day  I  could  but  con 
gratulate  Mrs.  H.  on  her  spacious  and  beautiful 
home,  its  nice  furniture,  beautiful  gardens,  and 
ample  stores;  but,  alas!  every  one  knoweth  his 
own  sorrows !  She  had  but  lately  laid  in  the 
grave  her  youngest  child,  and  the  remaining  one, 
as  well  as  herself,  was  but  slowly  recovering  from 
diphtheria  ;  and  when  she  said,  "  What  should  I 
do  if  my  husband  should  die?"  I  saw  the  tear 
starting;  and  as  I  replied,  "Trust  God  and  his 
Church,"  I  thought  it  good  to  take  the  fresh  air. 

NUJEEHABAD. 

Setting  off  at  nine  o'clock  at  night  we  move 
onward  for  Nujeebabad,  an  out-station  of  Bij- 
nour.  Severe  shaking,  perpetual  chattering,  no 
sleep.  At  4  o'clock,  A.  M.,  we  arrive  at  the 


76  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

city,  encamping  at  daylight  in  front  of  the  de 
serted  palace  of  the  Nawab,  who,  during  the 
rebellion,  forfeited  his  property  and  life.  While 
Dr.  B.  cooks  breakfast,  Mr.  Hauser  and  I  ex 
plore.  The  palace  is  in  ruins,  but  the  Summer- 
house  is  in  repair.  Some  things  particularly 
attracted  attention ;  among  them,  the  platform 
where  the  Nawab  surveyed  the  women  bathing, 
watching  for  Bathshebas ;  the  Zenana,  which 
was  dark,  with  lower  apartments  open  toward 
the  court,  closed  toward  the  exterior,  without 
a  window  or  an  aperture  in  the  wall,  though 
with  niches  for  the  lamps;  and  the  Government 
distillery,  where  any  one  may  come  and  make 
arrack  or  sherab  by  paying  twelve  annas  a  gallon. 
It  is  made  from  the  juice  of  the  sugar-cane, 
which  is  fermented  in  cow-dung  vats,  then  trans 
ferred  to  a  rude  still,  and  received,  after  distilla 
tion,  in  earthen  pots  sunk  in  the  ground. 

Before  the  English  entered  the  country  the 
natives  were  temperate  ;  but  now,  despite  their 
religion,  they  are  indulging  in  both  liquor  and 
opium. 

After  breakfast  we  visited  our  school.  It  is  in 
an  open  court,  in  which  is  no  fire  at  any  period 
of  the  year.  It  is  taught  by  Mohammedans  and 
Pagans,  the  head  master  being  a  Brahmin.  I 
proposed  prayer,  but  was  told  it  was  not  admis- 


A    VIE W  OF  OUR  INDIAN  MISSIONS.          77 

sible  ;  called  for  a  class  in  the  Bible,  but  there 
was  none  prepared  ;  asked  a  large  class  if  any 
one  could  recite  the  ten  commandments,  but 
found  none ;  examined  classes  in  reading,  gram 
mar,  arithmetic,  and  geography,  and  found  that 
although  in  pronunciation  and  orthography  the 
scholars  were  imperfect,  they  in  other  respects 
acquitted  themselves  well.  Since  my  visit  the 
missionary  assures  me  that  the  school  is  on 
more  Christian  foundations.  I  noticed  a  number 
of  citizens  at  the  school,  among  them  the  mag 
istrate  or  headman,  and  the  doctor.  The  latter 
took  us  to  his  hospital,  where  he  has  several 
house  patients,  and  prescribes  for  many  out 
ones.  He  has  received  a  medical  degree,  and 
performed  most  of  the  operations  of  surgery. 
He  rarely  uses  the  lancet,  but  his  dispensary 
contains  many  active  remedies,  such  as  iodide 
of  potassium,  mercury,  and  quinine.  Being  a 
widower,  he  allowed  us  to  enter  his  house,  where 
we  found  his  only  child,  a  girl  eight  years  old, 
seated  upon  the  floor,  decorated  with  gold  ear 
rings,  and  toe-rings,  and  silver  bangles.  She 
arose  and  recited  the  Lord's  Prayer  as  the  high 
est  compliment  she  could  bestow  upon  us ;  after 
which  the  doctor,  bowing  down  and  placing  his 
face  to  the  floor,  asked  what  good  he  should  do 
to  me. 


78  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

At  eleven  o'clock  we  are  off  for  Nugeenah, 
where  we  have  a  school  and  a  native  helper's 
house,  worth  $150.  Here,  at  the  bungalow,  I 
was  taken  sick,  but  stimulus,  applied  both  in 
ternally  and  externally,  so  far  revived  me  that  I 
was  enabled  to  pursue  my  journey  the  same  day, 
but  without  examining  the  school  at  Nugeenah, 
which,  however,  is  similar  to  that  at  Nujeebabad. 
The  latter  city  is  the  larger,  containing  20,000 
inhabitants.  From  it  may  be  seen  the  lower 
ranges  of  the  Himalayas,  twenty  miles  distant, 
as  the  crow  would  fly.  Between  the  mountains 
and  the  town  is  jungle,  in  which  tigers,  boars, 
and  elephants  abound. 

MORADABAD    AND    ITS   OUT-STATIONS. 

From  Nugeenah  we  move  on  to  Gurmaktezer, 
passing  through  Chandpoor — city  of  the  moon — 
about  midnight,  and  reaching  at  seven  o'clock 
next  morning  the  Mela,  a  great  annual  religious 
gathering  or  camp-meeting  on  the  holy  stream 
of  the  Ganges,  where  we  were  received  by  our 
missionary,  Parker.  Intoxicated  with  strange 
sights  and  sounds,  we  rode  along  the  tents  far 
down  the  river,  on  which  were  encamped  six  or 
seven  hundred  thousand  people.  Happily,  among 
the  sounds  was  the  Gospel's  joyful  one,  which 
we  heard  in  the  native  tongues  from  the  lips  of 


A    VIEW  OF  OUR   INDIAN  MISSIONS.          79 

missionaries  at  different  parts  of  the  encamp 
ment,  and  which  was  listened  to  with  appar 
ent  interest  by  the  groups  of  natives  that 
gathered  round  the  speakers.  O  what  an  oppor 
tunity  to  preach  Jesus! 

Now,  off  for  Moradabad,  forty  miles  distant, 
which  we  reached  about  ten  o'clock  the  next  day. 
On  Sabbath  we  have  love-feast.  As  I  entered 
the  congregation  salaamed.  The  women  and  men 
sat  apart,  both  neatly  dressed.  The  speaking  was 
prompt  and  brief;  the  singing  in  tunes,  some 
native,  some  American,  but  all  melodious  and 
sweet.  The  whole  service  indicated  that  the 
people  are  rising  to  American  civilization,  and 
getting  an  idea  of  spiritual  religion,  one  of  the 
hardest  things  for  them  to  comprehend,  accus 
tomed,  as  they  have  been,  to  a  religion  of  mere 
ceremonies.  I  addressed  them  through  an  inter 
preter.  Messrs.  Parker,  Mansell,  Cawdell,  and 
their  wives,  were  present.  At  ten  o'clock  Mr. 
Cawdell  preached.  Several  teachers  and  scholars 
from  the  City  Mission  School  were  present,  some 
of  them  Hindoos  and  some  Mohammedans.  The 
communicants  of  this  Church  are  all  living  on 
our  ground,  and  in  our  employ.  The  native 
preachers  and  exhorters,  however,  live  elsewhere. 
Our  members  are  well  instructed,  being  gath 
ered  together  every  evening  for  a  Bible  class. 


8O  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

There  are  small  Christian  congregations  in  the 
villages,  but  they  are  not  well  trained.  How  to 
get  converts  that  are  beyond  the  range  of  Eu 
ropean  employ  is  the  great  problem  of  the 
missions.  At  three  o'clock  we  have  Bible  class 
and  Sabbath-school.  At  the  close  each  pupil 
recites  a  verse  of  Scripture.  At  four  o'clock 
preaching  in  the  bazaar  in  the  center  of  the  city 
to  three  or  four  thousand  natives.  Five  or  six 
hundred  gathered  close  around  to  listen.  They 
were  respectful  and  attentive,  and  the  boys  in 
front  behaved  admirably.  Two  exhorters,  one 
native  preacher,  and  brothers  Mansell,  Cawdell, 
and  Parker,  delivered  in  succession,  from  a  pub 
lic  well,  short,  animated  discourses,  like  the  suc 
cessive  peals  of  artillery.  The  city  is  better 
built  than  Indian  cities  usually  are.  It  contains 
fifty-six  thousand  inhabitants,  one-fourth  of 
whom  are  said  to  be  Mohammedans.  The  Hin 
doos,  even  the  Brahmins,  appear  to  tolerate  and 
almost  befriend  us ;  but  the  Mussulmans  are 
very  bitter  against  us.  Both  classes  have  been 
moved  to  action  by  our  bazaar  preaching,  and 
propound  questions  to  us  publicly,  the  Mussul 
mans  often  offensively.  While  the  latter  ad 
mit  much  revealed  truth,  they  deny  the  divinity 
of  Christ,  and  are  obstinate  fatalists.  We  quote 
against  them  the  Koran,  which  declares  him  an 


A    VIEW  OF  OUR  INDIAN  MISSIONS.          8 1 

infidel  who  denies  the  inspiration  of  the  New 
Testament,  or  makes  any  distinction  among  the 
prophets.  Mohammedans  proclaim  no  atone 
ment,  and  rely  for  salvation  on  the  intercession 
of  the  prophet  alone.  Among  the  interesting  in 
cidents  of  our  visit  was  the  baptism  of  two 
children,  and  the  administration  of  the  Lord's- 
Supper  to  thirty-three  native  communicants  and 
eight  missionaries.  A  collection,  as  usual,  was 
taken  up.  During  the  year  sixty-five  dollars 
have  been  given  by  the  members  for  the  mission, 
besides  the  support  of  a  native  helper,  notwith 
standing  the  entire  wages  of  each  head  of  a 
family  is  but  two  dollars  per  month.  The  Chris 
tians  here  belong  to  the  lowest  caste  of  the 
Sikhs.  When  some  of  their  head  men  joined 
the  Christian  Church,  they,  considering  it  equiv 
alent  to  a  change  of  caste,  were  ready  to  follow. 
Four  or  five  hundred  of  this  people  own  them 
selves  Christians,  and  might  become  such  under 
suitable  instruction. 

The  property  of  the  station  consists  of  three 
and  a  half  acres,  for  which  a  warranty  deed  in 
fee  simple  is  held.  On  this  plot  are,  I.  A  sub 
stantial  house,  seventy  feet  square,  containing 
fourteen  rooms  in  ail,  valued  at  $2,000;  2.  A 
chapel,  ninety  feet  long,  twenty  feet  wide,  built 
of  sun-dried  brick,  with  a  pulka  roof.  It  is 


82  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

valued  at  $625.  The  servants'  houses  on  the 
mission  compound  are  included  in  the  estimate 
for  the  house.  The  chapel  furniture  is  valued 
at  $49;  itinerating  requisites,  $78;  miscellane 
ous,  $ii]  school-house,  $18;  school-house  fur 
niture  in  rented  premises,  $20. 

In  this  city  reside  Mr.  Huntingdon,  British 
magistrate,  and  Mr.  Power,  district  judge,  by 
whom  we  were  kindly  received.  The  prayer- 
meetings  of  the  mission  are  well  attended,  and 
appear  to  be  devotional.  At  the  close  of  one  I 
was  presented  with  a  cane  by  some  orphan  boys, 
and  with  a  purse  by  the  first  native  female 
teacher  employed  in  our  school. 

SUM  B  HAL. 

On  November  I5th,  at  four  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  I  started  with  Messrs.  Parker  and 
Mansell  for  Sumbhal,  an  out-station,  distant 
twenty-two  miles.  The  country  is  fruitful  and 
beautiful.  We  arrived  at  our  destination  for 
breakfast  at  brother  Cawdell's.  Here  our  prem 
ises  consist  of  an  acre  and  a  half  of  land,  on 
which  a  mission  house  is  building,  at  a  cost  of 
$300.  The  ground  was  purchased  for  us  from 
Brahmins  by  the  mayor  or  Tyceldar,  who  will 
receive  the  money,  and  put  it  into  the  hands  of 
some  person  from  whom  they  can  secretly  get 


A    VIEW  OF  OUR  INDIAN  MISSIONS.          83 

it,  as  it  is  contrary  to  their  rules  to  buy  or  sell. 
The  city  is  very  old  and  much  scattered,  but 
contains  15,579  inhabitants.  Among  its  ancient 
buildings  is  a  mosque,  said  to  have  been  built 
three  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago,  on  the  site 
marked  out  as  the  place  for  the  next  and  last 
incarnation  of  Vishnu.  When  the  Mohamme 
dans  demolished  the  temple  that  once  crowned 
the  holy  place,  the  Hindoos  built  another  near 
by,  in  hope  that  the  coming  savior  will  accept 
it  for  the  original.  We  have  a  school  here, 
which  was  found  creditable.  It  is  under  the 
superintendence  of  Ambica  Churn,  one  of  our 
native  helpers,  who  has  several  ushers,  none  of 
whom,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  are  Christians.  Our 
next  station  is  Babukhera,  fourteen  miles  distant ; 
our  journey  thither  was  by  night.  We  missed 
our  road,  and  had  to  seek  the  watchman  of  a 
village  through  which  we  passed  to  guide  us. 
Arriving  at  our  destination,  we  sank  to  rest  in 
a  tent  which  Mrs.  Parker  had  set  up  for  us. 
The  place  is  a  small  one,  containing  one  thou 
sand  inhabitants,  dwelling  in  mud  huts,  and  farm 
ing  the  neighboring  land.  The  Christians  here 
and  in  the  vicinity  are  about  eighty  in  number. 
We  held  service  next  morning,  at  eight  o'clock, 
in  the  unroofed  church  which  they  are  building, 
at  a  cost  of  $200,  and  where,  after  preaching,  I 


84  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

baptized  twenty-seven  persons,  who  all  seemed 
delighted  with  their  initiation,  of  which  they 
desired  certificates. 

After  meeting  I  was  presented  with  various 
little  gifts  from  the  children,  and  also  a  cane 
from  a  banyan-tree,  held  sacred  by  Mohammed 
ans,  as  marking  the  tomb  of  a  Mussulman 
martyr.  This  was  the  gift  of  our  oldest  convert, 
of  whom  Mr.  Parker,  under  date  May  9,  1866, 
gives  the  following  account : 

"You  will  doubtless  remember,  that  while  you 
were  at  Babukhera,  when  our  little  chapel  was 
dedicated,  a  very  old  man  from  among  our  Chris 
tians  there  presented  you  with  a  cane.  He  was 
the  oldest  of  all  our  Christians  in  this  district, 
and  probably  the  oldest  Christian  in  our  mission, 
and  was  like  a  father  to  all  our  people  in  his 
village.  I  write  now  to  tell  you  of  his  death, 
the  news  of  which  has  just  reached  us.  He 
passed  to  his  home  on  the  23d  of  April  last, 
aged  about  eighty-six  years.  He  was  among 
the  first  of  his  tribe — the  Sikhs — to  embrace 
Christianity,  and  has  ever  since  been  among  the 
most  true  and  faithful  Christians  of  India.  He 
was  uneducated,  could  not  even  read  or  write  at 
all  ;  yet  he  received  Christianity — not  as  so 
many  ignorant  people  in  India  do,  as  a  change 
of  caste,  but  as  a  religion  of  purity  and  holiness 


A    VIEW  OF  OUR   INDIAN  MISSIONS.          85 

of  heart  and  life.  Our  converts  readily  renounce 
idolatry,  yet  the  principles  and  practices  of  idol 
atry  often  have  to  be  rooted  out  gradually.  But 
Father  Dershni  Singh,  although  he  had  .practiced 
the  deceptions  of  idolatry  to  his  eightieth  year, 
so  received  Christ  that  from  his  baptism  to  his 
death  he  lived  a  consistent  Christian  life.  He 
always  seemed  ready  to  do  what  he  could  to 
help  others  in  the  true  way.  His  influence  was 
very  great  over  the  little  class  of  his  village,  and, 
indeed,  over  all  the  Christians  of  his  tribe ;  and, 
as  he  always  tried  to  use  this  influence  for  good, 
he  was  a  great  help  to  us  in  our  work. 

"  When  we  endeavored  to  establish  a  Christian 
colony  in  Wesleypoor,  he  went  with  his  people 
there,  and  was  a  great  help  to  us  in  commencing 
the  work,  and  in  keeping  the  people  together. 
His  wife  died  during  the  sickness  there,  and  his 
eldest  son,  an  excellent  man,  and  an  exhorter, 
also  passed  away  there. 

"In  his  Christian  life  he  counted  three  impor 
tant  events.  The  first,  his  baptism;  to  receive 
which  he  walked  nearly  fifty  miles  in  the  eight 
ieth  year  of  his  age,  and  was  so  thankful  and 
happy  that  in  his  old  age  he  had  received  the 
true  Savior,  and  had  been  received  by  his  people. 

"The  second  was  the  visit  of  the  bishop  to  his 
little  village,  and  the  dedication  of  the  little 


86  OUR   ORIENTAL   MISSIONS. 

chapel  on  his  land,  so  long  devoted  to  idolatry; 
and,  to  him,  it  added  much  to  the  interest  of  the 
event  that  the  bishop,  on  the  day  of  the  dedica 
tion,  baptized  twenty-seven  of  his  people,  and 
that  his  grandson,  who  was  baptized,  was  per 
mitted  to  receive  the  name  of  the  bishop. 

"The  third  was  our  camp-meeting,  held  last 
November,  where  Father  Dershni  received  a 
fuller  baptism  of  the  Holy  Spirit  than  he  had 
enjoyed  before.  His  heart  then  became  melted, 
and  he  rejoiced  with  joy  unspeakable.  Although 
so  old,  he  remained  with  us  during  the  entire 
meeting,  and  attended  every  service,  early  and 
late,  to  the  end.  Since  that  time,  I  have  felt 
that  he  was  growing  up  into  Christ,  and  being 
perfected  for  his  home.  For  some  weeks  past 
he  has  felt  that  he  could  not  live  long,  and  has 
talked  freely  of  his  death,  and  has  always  ex 
pressed  himself  as  ready  to  depart. 

" '  How  can  I  have  fear,'  said  he  to  me  the  last 
time  I  was  at  his  house,  'when  all  my  trust  is  in 
Christ,  the  true  Savior?'  The  native  preacher 
at  Babukhera  writes  that  he  continued  in  this 
same  confident,  trusting,  happy  spirit  until  the 
end. 

"His  life  was  a  'living  epistle',  and  his  death 
confirmed  the  epistle  of  his  life  to  all  around  him. 

"As  he  had  always  been  a  man  of  influence 


A   VIEW  OF  OUR  INDIAN  MISSIONS.          8/ 

among  his  people,  many  gathered  at  his  death, 
determined  to  have  their  usual  ceremonies  in 
spite  of  the  Christians.  He  had,  however,  antic 
ipated  this,  and  had  charged  all  his  friends  so 
strictly  that  they  desisted,  and  his  wish  was 
carried  out  in  a  simple  Christian  burial." 

NYNEE  TAL  AND  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

We  must  now  turn  attention  to  another  sta 
tion  ;  but,  as  Moradabad  is  not  out  of  our  way, 
we  return  to  it,  and  tarry  long  enough  to  visit 
its  mission  schools,  of  which  Mr.  Mansell  has 
charge.  In  clean,  whitewashed  apartments,  we 
found  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  boys,  dressed 
for  the  occasion,  who,  though  somewhat  deficient 
in  Scripture,  passed  a  satisfactory  examination. 
Returning  to  the  mission  house,  we  had  an  op 
portunity  of  seeing  the  thronging  population  of 
the  city,  which  our  companion,  an  English  engi 
neer,  and  friend  of  our  mission,  did  not  hesitate 
to  drive  with  his  long  whip,  scarcely  checking 
his  strong  Cabul  steed  in  its  passage  through  the 
mass  that  crowded  the  thoroughfares. 
-  Left  Moradabad  in  the  dhooley  by  night,  and 
arrived  at  Kaladoonge  by  six  o'clock  next  day. 
We  are  now  out  of  Rohilcund  and  in  Kumaon. 
I  was  disturbed  during  the  night  by  the  shouting 
of  the  coolies  in  concert,  which,  we  learned  in  the 


88  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

morning,  was  to  keep  off  the  tigers  as  we  passed 
through  the  Terai.  Getting  out  of  the  dhooley 
we  found  five  or  six  elephants  chained,  whose 
drivers  were  just  getting  ready  to  start,  having 
spent  the  night  near  our  stopping  place.  We 
start  up  the  hills  and  reach  Mongolia,  a  travelers' 
rest-house,  where  Mrs.  Butler,  who  had  come 
down  from  Nynee  Tal  the  previous  evening  to 
meet  us,  has  prepared  our  breakfast.  Having  re 
freshed  ourselves,  we  continued  our  journey  up 
the  mountain.  When  within  two  or  three  miles 
of  Nynee  Tal  we  saw  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Baume  and 
two  of  their  sons  on  a  precipice,  waving  their 
handkerchiefs. 

While  here  we  dined  with  the  Lieutenant-Gov 
ernor  of  the  North-West  Provinces,  who  esti 
mates  their  population  at  twenty-eight  millions, 
and  thinks  the  Mohammedans  as  one  to  five. 
Our  mission  property  is  eight  and  a  half  acres, 
four  acres  and  a  half  of  which  is  unoccupied,  on 
which  is  a  house,  a  chapel,  and  a  school-house. 
The  last  is  valued  at  $1,750;  the  mission  house 
at  $1,987;  native  helper's  house,  $225;  chapel, 
$2,500 ;  six  school-houses,  $2,375  J  a  cemetery, 
$125  ;  chapel  requisites,  $144;  school  requisites, 
$60;  miscellaneous,  $44.  The  chapel  seems  to 
me  over-estimated,  some  of  the  other  property 
under-estimated.  Here  is  the  place  for  a  sani- 


A   VIEW  OF  OUR  INDIAN  MISSIONS.          89 

tarium,  which,  since  my  return,  has  been  built. 
Our  mission  residence,  though  large,  is  old  and 
out  of  repair.  Our  native  congregation  consists 
of  forty-five  members,  who  enjoy  one  service  on 
the  Sabbath,  and  usually  attend  the  Sabbath- 
school,  where  they  receive  instruction  as  valua 
ble  as  preaching.  We  have  bazaar  preaching 
from  two  to  four  times  a  week,  when  the  season 
is  favorable.  One  of  our  members,  John  Barker, 
is  an  exhorter.  During  the  Summer  we  have 
several  schools,  some  toward  the  foot  of  the  hills. 
The  average  attendance  is,  at  Nynee  Tal,  45  ; 
Bheemtal,  35;  Akotah,  30;  Kaladoonge,  15; 
Huldwani,  40;  Golapar,  12.  All  these  are 
taught  by  heathen  teachers,  under  the  supervi 
sion  of  missionaries.  The  Scriptures  are,  how 
ever,  read  in  them  all,  and  the  Nynee  Tal  school 
is  opened  with  prayer.  There  is  an  English 
congregation  in  our  church  every  Sabbath  after 
noon,  with  an  average  attendance  of  seventy- 
eight  or  eighty  persons.  Mrs.  Baume  teaches  a 
female  school,  which  has  an  average  attendance 
of  eighteen  native  children  from  the  bazaar. 

Not  far  from  the  town  is  the  mission  grave 
yard,  consisting  of  an  acre  and  a  half  of  ground, 
the  gift  of  the  commissioner.  It  is  in  a  sightly 
spot,  grandly  encompassed,  though  near  to  land 
slides  and  mountain  gorges.  It  has  been  walled 


90  OUR    ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

on  three  sides  and  fenced  on  the  other,  at  a  cost 
of  $125.  Here  are  the  graves  of  Mrs.  Thoburn, 
one  of  Dr.  Butler's  children,  and  one  of  Mr. 
Pierce's,  suitably  ornamented  with  shrubbery, 
which  I  found  protected  for  the  Winter  by 
matting. 

On  Sabbath  Mr.  Baume  preached  to  a  native 
congregation  of  eleven,  mostly  servants  and 
children.  After  preaching  came  Sabbath-school. 
At  four  o'clock  I  preached  to  a  good  English 
congregation,  including  the  Lieu  tenant-Governor 
and  his  staff,  and,  after  the  sermon,  administered 
the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's-Supper  to  about 
twenty-five  persons,  among  them  the  Lieutenant- 
Governor  and  family,  Col.  Ramsay,  and  some 
English  soldiers.  After  service  Col.  Ramsay 
dined  with  us  at  the  mission  house.  He  re 
marked  that  we  ought  to  have  a  mission  at  Pil- 
libheet  and  at  Gurhwall.  To  begin  the  latter  he 
made  an  offer  of  $500,  which,  in  a  letter  to  Dr. 
Butler  next  morning,  he  raised  to  $1,500,  adding 
$25  a  month  to  sustain  the  proposed  mission. 
Col.  Ramsay  is  the  commissioner  of  the  district, 
and  he  has  spent  nearly  thirty  years  in  India. 

On  November  2ist  we  start  for  Bareilly  by  way 
of  Pillibheet,  Dr.  Butler  and  family  in  company. 
Col.  Ramsay,  attended  by  a  number  of  natives, 
whom  he  had  employed  to  work  on  the  roads, 


A   VIEW  OF  OUR  INDIAN  MISSIONS.          91 

overtook  us  as  we  were  descending  the  mountain. 
Finding  him  on  foot,  I  left  the  dhooley  and 
walked  several  miles  to  enjoy  his  society.  It 
may  serve  somewhat  to  illustrate  the  peculiarities 
of  the  country,  to  note  some  points  of  our 
conversation. 

Just  below  the  Jewteekot  Mountain,  the  Col 
onel  pointed  to  a  stone  in  a  ravine,  where  he  says 
a  tiger  was  accustomed  to  watch,  until  he  had 
killed  thirty  persons,  among  them  three  sons  of  a 
widow.  She,  consulting  a  Fakir,  was  told  that 
her  sons  were  changed  into  tigers,  but  that  if  she 
could  see  the  animal  that  devoured  them  she 
would  receive  them  again  in  human  shape.  Ac 
cordingly  she  took  her  seat  by  the  roadside  and 
there  sat  day  and  night,  month  after  month, 
watching  for  the  beast,  never  asking  alms,  -but 
being  fed  by  the  neighbors  and  the  passing  trav 
elers.  At  length  she  was  missed,  and  by  her 
blood  was  traced  to  a  rock,  where  her  body  was 
found  partly  eaten.  The  Colonel  sent  some 
hunters  to  the  spot,  who,  hiding  behind  bushes, 
shot  the  tiger  as  he  returned  to  his  feast. 

He  pointed  out  another  spot  where  a  tiger  fell 
upon  a  mail  carrier,  and  seizing  the  mail-bags, 
sent  his  teeth  through  and  through  them,  al 
though  they  contained  a  large,  well-bound  army 
list.  The  dry  meal,  however,  so  discouraged  the 


92  OUR   ORIENTAL   MISSIONS. 

animal  that  he  was  easily  driven  from  his  prey. 
The  Colonel  spoke  of  a  tiger  which,  to  his 
knowledge,  had  killed  fifty  persons,  many  of  them 
pilgrims  on  their  way  to  the  mountain  shrines. 
The  pilgrims  having  become  scarce,  he  took  his 
prey  from  a  village.  Three  villages,  with  but 
one  gun  and  one  bullet,  joined  to  pursue  him. 
That  bullet,  fortunately,  was  lodged  in  the  tiger's 
leg.  By  the  wound  it  inflicted  the  animal  was 
both  disabled  and  made  to  mark  his  way  with 
his  blood.  The  pursuers  coming  up  with  him, 
assailed  him  with  stones,  until  he  turned  upon 
them  ;  in  this  way  the  conflict  continued  all  day. 
When  night  came  the  villagers  encamped,  and 
next  day  they  continued  the  pursuit. 

On  the  morning  of  the  third  day  they  suc 
ceeded  in  stoning  and  beating  him  to  death. 
Bears  are  a  pretty  good  match  for  tigers.  Buf 
faloes,  singly,  fall  an  easy  prey  to  a  tiger,  but  in 
a  flock  they  form  themselves  into  a  living  wedge, 
by  which  they  support  each  other  and  crush  the 
common  foe.  Leopards  run  from  a  tiger  like 
cats  from  a  dog.  Elephants  are  trained  to  hunt 
them  ;  they  stun  them  with  their  trunks,  and 
crush  them  beneath  their  feet.  As  we  passed  by 
a  hut  the  owner  told  us  that  a  tiger  was  killing 
his  bullocks,  and  showed  us  the  fresh  horns  of 
one  that  had  been  killed  the  night  before.  The 


A    VIEW  OF  OUR  INDIAN  MISSIONS.          93 

Government  pays  $1.50  for  killing  a  bear,  $2.50 
for  killing  a  leopard,  and  $5  for  killing  a  tiger. 

We  reached  Katgodam  by  4,  P.  M.,  where 
we  were  detained  getting  ready  the  dhoolies 
until  seven.  The  dak  having  been  mislaid,  we 
pursued  a  roundabout  way  during  the  night,  so 
that  at  dawn  we  found  ourselves  at  Baharny, 
where  we  extemporized  breakfast,  after  which  we 
received  a  friendly  call  from  the  native  mag 
istrate. 

PILLIBHEET,    BAREILLY,    BUDAON. 

Off  now  for  Pillibheet,  where  we  are  met  by 
Missionaries  Waugh  and  Thomas.  Here  we 
have  two  and  a  half  acres,  namely,  two  in  fee 
simple,  and  half  an  acre  in  perpetual  lease — pay 
ing  annual  rent  of  $6 — and  a  small,  inferior 
house.  This  property  cost  $312;  its  present 
value  is  $269.  Mr.  Cawdell,  once  stationed  here, 
left  it  on  account  of  its  unhealthiness.  There 
are  three  English  families  here,  and  the  joint 
magistrate  tells  us  it  is  healthy  nine  months  in 
the  year.  The  city  contains  39,000  people,  and 
is  well  built.  At  the  conference  we  sent  a  mis 
sionary  to  it. 

On  to  Bareilly,  estimated  to  contain  112,000 
inhabitants,  the  most  important  station  in  Rohil- 
cund.  Our  mission  compound  consists  of  20 


94  OUR    ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

56-100  acres,  worth  $484.  The  mission  house 
is  very  comfortable,  newly  whitewashed  inside 
and  out,  and  tastefully,  though  not  extravagantly 
furnished.  It  is  valued  at  $2,500.  The  Girls' 
Orphan  School,  of  brick  walls  and  cemented  roof, 
is  fifty  feet  by  seventy-four,  exclusive  of  veranda ; 
value  between  $2,000  and  $2,500.  The  Orphan 
age,  worth  $2,000,  is  inclosed  by  a  wall,  within 
which  a  few  shrubs  are  planted,  and  more  might 
be.  Domestic  outfit,  $837 ;  school  requisites, 
$132;  three  native  helpers'  houses,  $225;  super 
intendent's  house,  $3,500.  This  is  of  brick  walls 
and  pucca  roof.  Itinerating  outfit,  $336  ;  Bunga 
low  rented  to  bank,  $1,750;  Orphans'  graveyard, 
worth  $38,  with  cheap  inclosure,  and  wanting  a 
bridge  from  the  street,  as  the  land  is  subject  to 
inundation.  It  has  eight  little  graves  without 
monuments. 

The  chapel  requisites  are  $180;  school  requi 
sites,  $41;  itinerating  requisites,  $280;  miscel 
laneous,  $14.  Connected  with  this  mission  is  a 
printing  establishment  on  a  plot  of  ground  con 
taining  five  acres,  worth  $1,500.  The  house,  used 
as  an  endowment  of  the  press,  is  set  down  at 
$1,750.  The  printing-office  is  a  koti  sixty  feet 
by -forty-eight,  value,  $1,750.  Press  and  stock, 
value,  $3,250.  Dwelling-house  for  the  manager, 
a  thatched  bungalow,  worth  $2,000.  There  are 


A    VIEW  OF  OUR  INDIAN  MISSIONS.          95 

outhouses  reckoned  in,  which  are  occupied  by 
native  Christians  and  servants.  Sixteen  hands, 
of  whom  six  are  Christians,  are  employed  in 
printing ;  half  the  time,  however,  in  job  work. 
The  matter  is  in  Hindee,  or  Urdu,  or  English. 
The  Urdu  is  sometimes  set  in  Roman,  Arabic, 
and  Persian  characters.  Among  the  books  pub 
lished  are  our  hymn-book,  catechism,  and  tracts, 
and  the  Psalms  of  David.  Before  I  left  Mrs. 
Thomas  presented  me  with  a  beautiful  Cashmere 
gown,  the  gift  of  the  girls  of  the  Orphanage — a 
memorial  on  which  I  place  great  value.  The 
Orphanage  is. doing  well  in  all  its  departments.  I 
was  deeply  moved  to  see  one  little  child  in  the 
matron's  arms  which  had  been  literally  dug  out 
of  the  grave,  where  it  had  been  placed  by  its  un 
natural  parents. 

We  left  Bareilly  by  carriage  for  Budaon  ;  one 
of  our  horses  was  borrowed  from  a  Moham 
medan  judge  of  the  latter  city.  The  distance  is 
thirty  miles  ;  the  road  is  tolerabje  to  the  Ram- 
gunga,  intolerable  over  the  deep  sands  in  the 
vicinity  of  that  stream,  and  excellent  beyond, 
where  it  is  a  broad  metaled  highway,  made  by 
the  British  before  the  mutiny.  Along  the  road 
many  of  the  fields  are  well  cultivated,  but  there 
is  a  great  deal  of  waste  land  adorned  by  pea 
cocks,  and  infested  by  jackals  and  wolves.  Mr. 


96  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

Scott  tells  me  that  three  old  persons  and  two 
children  were  carried  off  lately  from  Budaon  by 
wolves.  The  natives  are  not  allowed  to  bear 
arms  without  a  license,  and  as  this  can  not  be 
obtained  without  some  reputation,  or  retained 
without  tax,  the  chief  weapons  of  defense  are 
clubs. 

The  deeds  of  our  property  at  Budaon  are 
satisfactory.  The  mission  premises  are  well  sit 
uated,  half  a  mile  from  the  city,  on  three 'acres 
of  ground.  The  dwelling-house  contains  eight 
rooms,  and  is  worth  $1,600.  The  church  is  sixty 
feet  by  thirty,  worth  $565  ;  both  have  pucca  roofs. 
Native  helper's  house  worth  $75  ;  Zyat,  $69 ; 
Chapel  requisites,  $30  ;  school  requisites,  $63  ; 
itinerating  requisites,  $110;  miscellaneous  prop 
erty,  $5.  The  ground  is  subject  to  an  annual 
rent  of  $20. 

Every  Sabbath  there  is  preaching  in  the  native 
language,  a  Sabbath-school,  and  a  Bible  class  for 
females.  On  Tuesday,  English  service,  class- 
meeting,  Bible  class.  Every  week  a  prayer- 
meeting  is  held.  Bazaar  preaching  is  according 
to  circumstances,  generally  every  third  day. 
During  my  stay  we  had  an  extra  meeting,  at 
which  I  addressed  the  people  and  administered 
the  Lord's-Supper,  and  Mr.  Scott  preached  in 
the  native  tongue.  We  have  here  two  native 


A    VIEW  OF  OUR   INDIAN  MISSIONS.         97 

preachers,  three  school-teachers,  forty  native 
hearers  at  Sabbath  service,  twenty  Sabbath- 
school  scholars,  twelve  Church  members,  three 
probationers,  ninety-two  pupils,  of  whom  eighty 
are  boys  and  twelve  girls.  The  members,  with 
a  single  exception,  are  independent  of  the  mission, 
and  all  suffer  social  disability  and  other  incon 
veniences  for  their  faith.  The  schools  \\ere 
carefully  inspected.  There  is  one  in  the  church, 
with  an  average  attendance  of  thirty  pupils, 
having  two  teachers,  a  Hindoo  and  a  Moham 
medan  ;  another  in  the  bazaar,  average  attend 
ance  twenty,  one  teacher,  a  Hindoo  and  an 
inquirer.  While  I  was  at  the  mission  a  Moham 
medan  called  on  the  missionary,  and  expressed 
deep  concern  for  his  soul. 

On  our  return  journey  to  Bareilly  we  broke 
down  on  the  sands  near  the  Ramgunga,  walked 
a  mile  or  two,  got  on  a  bullock  hackery,  and 
thus  rode  until  we  came  to  our  last  station. 
We  arrived  at  Bareilly  in  the  evening  ;  next  day 
drove  out  to  cantonments,  where  brethren  are 
putting  up  a  chapel,  to  cost  $150,  and  to  be 
used  both  for  church  and  school.  Returning, 
we  passed  the  spot  where,  in  the  mutiny,  the 
British  officers  were  shot  down  in  endeavoring 
to  escape.  Prudently,  before  this  event,  Dr. 
Butler's  family  had  started  for  the  hills.  The 


98  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

cantonments,  officers'  and  Government  quarters, 
are  all  admirable.  There  is  good  English  society 
here.  The  city  has  the  best  bazaar  and  serai  I 
have  seen  in  India;  the  former  is  three  miles 
long,  substantial  and  ornamented.  There  are 
here  Government  hospitals,  a  lunatic  asylum,  and 
a  prison,  with  two  thousand  prisoners. 

Sabbath,  we  had  Hindoostani  preaching  by  a 
native — Joel — and  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's- 
Supper.  When  Dr.  Butler  first  came  here  he 
borrowed  Joel  from  the  Presbyterian  Mission  at 
Allahabad,  but  he  has  never  returned  him,  and 
as  Joel  is  a  thorough  Methodist,  the  lenders 
probably  do  not  want  him.  He  is  well  informed, 
and  speaks  with  dignity,  fluency,  and  force,  and, 
the  missionaries  add,  with  unction.  He  has  a 
young  wife  and  four  children,  and  lives  in  a  mud 
cottage,  with  a  kitchen  at  one  end,  a  study  at 
the  other,  and  a  dining-room  between.  Behind 
his  house  is  an  inclosure,  walled  and  protected 
by  tiles,  where  the  family  sit  and  sleep.  There 
is  another  native  preacher  here — William — who 
lives  within  the  Orphanage  inclosure,  in  a  sim 
ilar  habitation  to  Joel's.  Each  has  a  small 
library.  Joel  has  Benson's  Commentary,  William 
has  Clarke's.  It  is  interesting  to  see  the  chil 
dren  at  meals.  They  sit  in  rows  upon  the 
ground,  each  having  a  metallic  plate,  but  neither 


A    VIEW  OF  OUR  INDIAN  MISSIONS.          99 

spoon,  knife,  nor  fork.  After  prayer  they  arise, 
one  row  after  another,  go  to  a  large  kettle,  where, 
having  had  their  platters  filled,  they  return 
and  reseat  themselves.  The  kettle  contains  a 
mixture  of  rice  and  dahl,  and  ghee  or  melted 
butter.  A  matron  at  another  kettle  dispenses 
to  such  as  desire  it  a  small  quantity  of  catsup. 
After  all  have  received  supplies  and  reseated 
themselves,  a  blessing  is  asked,  and  the  com 
pany  depart  by  sixes  or  sevens  to  their  respective 
rooms,  where,  seated  on  the  floor,  they  enjoy 
their  repast.  Twice  a  week  the  children  are 
allowed  meat.  On  Sabbath  afternoon  we  had 
English  service.  I  preached,  and  afterward  ad 
ministered  the  sacrament  to  thirty  or  forty 
persons,  some  white.  The  latter  came  first.  A 
gentleman  and  his  wife,  who  were  Baptists,  par 
took  seated. 

SHAHJEHANPORE,    SEETAPORE,    AND    GONDAH. 

In  the  dhooley  for  Shahjehanpore,  fifty  miles 
distant,  when  within  thirteen  miles  of  the  place, 
we  were  met  by  brother  Brown  with  horses,  on 
which  we  gallop  to  the  Gurra,  where,  on  the 
opposite  bank,  Dr.  Johnson  is  in  waiting  with  a 
buggy.  At  this  station,  on  Sabbath,  Mr.  Brown 
preaches  in  Hindoostani  in  the  morning,  holds 
Sunday-school  in.  the  afternoon,  and  class-meeting 


IOO  OUR    ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

in  the  evening.  Every  Wednesday  is  prayer- 
meeting  ;  every  Sabbath,  and  four  times  a  week 
besides,  bazaar  preaching.  The  number  of 
members  is  twenty-one ;  of  probationers,  five. 
There  is  one  native  preacher,  Rev.  H.  M.  Daniel, 
who  understands  Ordu,  Persian,  Sanscrit,  Ara 
bic,  Hebrew,  Latin,  Greek,  and  English.  He 
has  twelve  hundred  acres  of  land,  which  he  visits 
occasionally,  preaching  to  his  tenants.  About 
half  the  members  here  belong  to  the  Orphanage ; 
the  rest  are  independent  of  the  mission.  Just 
across  the  river  stands  Lodipoor,  which  Major 
Gowan  purchased  for  us  at  an  expense  of  $2,500. 
There  are  five  acres  of  ground  in  connection 
with  it,  and  twenty-three  acres  in  addition  held 
on  perpetual  lease  at  $70  a  year.  Mr.  Brown's 
school  is  in  a  large  house,  formerly  the  mansion 
of  a  Nawab,  now  owned  by  a  sugar  company, 
which  gives  the  school  accommodation  at  $5  a 
month.  The  pupils  enrolled  are  one  hundred 
and  fifteen,  of  which  there  is  an  average  attend 
ance  of  ninety.  There  are  four  teachers,  all 
Mussulmans.  The  school  is  opened  with  prayer, 
and  the  Scriptures  are  read  every  morning.  The 
smaller  children  are  examined  in  the  catechism, 
and  all  are  required  to  attend  preaching  every 
Sabbath.  In  the  city,  near  the  Chowk,  a  site 
has  been  purchased  for  a  Zyat,  where  the  mis- 


A    VIEW  OF  OUR  INDIAN  MISSIONS.        IOI 

sionary  may  hold  conversation,  sell  books,  and 
preach  the  Gospel.  The  population  of  the  city  is 
75,000,  chiefly  Mohammedans.  Our  boys'  Or 
phanage  is  badly  located,  because  in  canton 
ments,  which  subjects  it  to  the  control  of  the 
military  authorities,  and  because  close  by  the 
soldiers'  bazaar,  which  is  infested  by  bad  char 
acters.  In  the  institution,  the  buildings  of 
which  are  tolerably  good,  we  have  seventy-seven 
boys  and  four  teachers,  besides  monitors.  Rev. 
Mr.  Daniel,  native,  is  head-master.  Arithmetic, 
Geography,  Ordu,  Persian,  English,  Hindee,  and 
Sanscrit  are  taught.  The  Biblical  instruction  is 
satisfactory,  the  writing  of  the  pupils  is  good,  and 
their  drawing  excellent ;  but  in  English  gram 
mar  and  arithmetic  the  examination  was  not 
very  creditable.  The  Orphanage  is  to  be  trans 
ferred  to  the  property  purchased  for  the  purpose 
by  Major  Gowan. 

The  property  belonging  to  the  station  is 
as  follows :  Ten  acres  in  cantonments,  cost 
nothing;  rent,  $i  a  month.  On  this  stands  a 
double  house,  worth,  including  wells,  native 
preacher's  house,  etc.,  $4,000 ;  a  small  building, 
$750;  church,  $50;  native  helper's  house,  $250; 
furniture  for  church  and  school,  $128;  itinera 
ting  and  miscellaneous  requisites,  $23  ;  Orphan 
age  property  at  Lodipoor,  $2,525  ;  Orphanage 


102  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

buildings,  $2,240;  school-house  money,  $2,750; 
school  furniture,  $139;  domestic,  $288. 

As  we  left  Shahjehanpore  the  boys  drew  up 
in  a  line  on  each  side  of  the  dhooley  and  sung, 
under  the  direction  of  Mrs.  Johnson,  "  I  want  to 
be  an  angel "  and  "  There  is  a  happy  land."  The 
sound  of  these  familiar  lines,  in  my  native 
tongue,  and  in  well-known  strains,  coming  from 
Hindoo  voices,  and  in  a  strange  land,  reminded 
me  of  home  far  away,  and  my  better  home  above, 
in  most  overcoming  modes. 

In  the  morning  we  extemporize  breakfast  by 
the  roadside.  At  eleven  o'clock  we  reach  Luck- 
impore,  where  we  are  received  with  great  cordi 
ality  by  the  commissioner,  Mr.  Kavanaugh,  who 
rents  our  mission-house  here.  This  city  has 
5,000  inhabitants,  and  is  improving.  A  large 
column  marks  the  center  of  a  new  town,  which 
the  commissioner  is  encouraging  the  natives  to 
build.  Our  property  is  well  situated,  and  com 
mands  extensive  and  delightful  views.  It  con 
tains  ten  acres,  on  which  stands  a  dwelling-house 
of  six  large  rooms  and  seven  small  ones.  It  is 
a  bungalow,  sixty  feet  by  eighty,  with  tile  roof 
and  pucca  foundation,  and  is  worth  $1,750;  but 
the  roof  needs  repairing,  which  will  cost  $400. 
The  church  is  small  and  decaying,  and  is  worth 
only  what  the  material  in  it  will  bring.  We 


A    VIEW  OF  OUR  INDIAN  MISSIONS.        1 03 

have  a  native  helper's  house,  worth  $50 ;  other 
property,  $75.  Our  missionaries  forsook  the 
place,  perhaps  not  wisely,  but  the  English  resi 
dents  are  anxious  for  their  return.  Near  by  is 
Allegunj,  which  has  10,000  people;  within  three 
miles  is  Keri,  and  within  four  a  range  of  large 
land  grants  made  to  English  gentlemen  who 
were  useful  during  the  mutiny.  We  leave  for 
Seetapore  on  an  elephant,  in  company  with  Dr. 
B.  and  Mr.  Gracey.  At  Hirgauo,  fifteen  miles 
off,  we  are  set  down  at  midnight  by  the  roadside, 
and  after  refreshment,  prepared  under  a  tree  by 
starlight,  we  take  the  dhooley  for  Seetapore, 
where  Mrs.  Gracy  and  Mrs.  Waugh  were  wait 
ing  for  us  at  table.  Our  property  here  consists 
of  nine  and  a  half  acres ;  a  dwelling-house,  fifty- 
four  feet  by  seventy-four,  containing  four  large 
rooms  and  seven  small  ones.  Its  walls  are 
cutcha,  with  pucca  foundations  and  capping; 
its  value  is  $2,000.  We  have  also  a  native 
preacher's  house,  $75  ;  and  other  property  worth 
$187.  The  land  rent  which  we  pay  is  $18  per 
annum. 

This  station,  with  which  Luckimpore  is  con 
nected,  has  four  exhorters,  four  school-teachers, 
seven  male  members  and  seven  female,  two  pro 
bationers,  one  class-meeting,  at  which  the  aver 
age  attendance  is  eight,  an  average  native  Sab- 


1O4  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

bath  congregation  of  twenty,  two  schools  with 
eighty  male  and  three  female  scholars,  and  an 
English  Sabbath  congregation  of  twenty-five  per 
sons.  Brothers  Gracey  and  Jackson  live  very 
comfortably.  Nearly  all  our  missionaries  have 
pianos.  Mrs.  Jackson  has  also  a  sewing-machine. 
Seetapore  has  6,000  inhabitants  ;  Khairabad,  five 
miles  off,  has  20,000.  We  are  now  in  Oude,  of 
which  the  latter  is  the  third  city  in  importance. 
It  contains  celebrated  tombs  and  mosques. 
Here  we  have  a  school  of  which  a  native  has 
charge.  The  Government  wishes  us  to  have  a 
large  school  here,  and  would  pay  half  the  ex 
penses,  both  of  buildings  and  teachers,  including 
a  missionary,  who  ought  to  superintend  it.  At 
our  school  here  a  Mohammedan  was  formerly 
employed  as  master,  under  promise  that  he 
would  teach  the  Bible  and  catechise  the  chil 
dren  ;  but  as  he  omitted  all  allusion  to  the 
Trinity,  and  other  things  distinctive  of  Christi 
anity,  he  was  discharged.  On  leaving,  he  took 
all  the  Mussulman  children  with  him.  At  first 
we  did  not  charge  for  tuition,  and  on  requiring 
a  fee,  the  number  of  children  diminished  from 
forty-five  to  thirty-seven,  but  they  are  increasing 
now.  The  head-master  is  a  merely  nominal  one. 
The  English  barracks  in  Seetapore,  which  is  a 
military  station,  are  very  good,  and  even  orna- 


A    VIEW  OF  OUR  INDIAN  MISSIONS.        105 

mental ;  but  those  for  the  native  soldiery  are 
low  mud  huts. 

We  had  an  interesting  meeting  here  in  Mr. 
G.'s  parlor.  The  congregation  was  partly  of 
soldiers,  partly  of  native  citizens.  I  opened  with 
singing  and  prayer,  and  a  discourse  to  the  En 
glish,  to  whom  I  administered  the  Lord's-Supper. 
I  then  delivered  a  discourse  to  the  Hindoos, 
which,  I  am  told,  was  interpreted  beautifully  by 
the  head  teacher  of  the  Government  College  in 
this  city,  a  native,  who  was  converted  under  the 
ministry  of  Dr.  Duff. 

We  left  Seetapore  by  dhooley  at  4  o'clock,  P. 
M.,  and  traveled  incessantly  until  ten  o'clock  at 
night  of  the  following  day  before  we  reached 
Gondah — ninety  miles — passing  through  Byram 
Ghat  and  Secrora.  Until  we  reached  the  latter 
place  the  road  was  bad,  and  the  sands  near  the 
Goggra  were  exceedingly  heavy.  Thence  we  had 
a  pucca  road.  We  were  entertained  very  kindly 
by  the  magistrate,  Mr.  Knighton,  an  alumnus  of 
Dublin  University.  He  had  retired  when  we 
arrived,  but  arose  and  insisted  on  giving  us  a 
warm  supper.  In  the  vicinity  lives  the  Mahara 
jah  of  Bulrampoor,  a  man  of  liberal  principles 
and  liberal  spirit,  who  keeps  five  hundred  soldiers 
just  to  play  soldiering  and  add  to  his  dignity. 
Gondah  has  8,000  people,  and  was  formerly  a 


106  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

military  station,  though  now  it  has  but  a  few 
English  families.  The  district  of  which  it  is  the 
head  is  three  hundred  miles  long,  and  numbers  a 
million  inhabitants.  Its  chief  towns  are  Gondah, 
Bulrampore,  5,000;  Uttroulah,  6,000;  Shahpore, 
7,000;  Nawalying,  6,000;  Toolesepoor,  10,000; 
Purruspoor,  8,000;  Murkipore,  10,000;  Sallgunj, 
10,000.  The  district  is  chiefly  agricultural.  The 
Maharajah  of  Bulrampoor  and  the  Rajahs  of  Sin- 
ga  Chunda,  Purruspoor,  Murkipoor,  and  Mahara 
jah  Mann  Sing  are  the  chief  landholders.  There 
are  in  the  city  many  Shiwallahs  built  by  wealthy 
families,  either  to  the  goddess  of  fortune — Lak- 
shim — or  the  goddess  of  health,  some  of  which 
are  evidently  new.  In  them,  families  to  which 
they  belong  pay  their  regular  devotions.  Dr. 
Butler  preached  on  Sabbath  morning  a  very  ap 
propriate  sermon  in  the  parlor  of  Mr.  Knighton, 
to  a  company  of  eight  or  ten  persons,  mostly 
English-speaking  natives  in  the  employ  of  Gov 
ernment.  At  this  city,  on  an  island  in  a  lake 
made  artificially  about  three  hundred  years  ago, 
is  a  temple.  The  lake,  eight  feet  deep,  was  made 
by  excavating  for  the  island.  From  its  waters  to 
the  temple  platform  the  island  is  fronted  by  solid 
masonry,  stone  steps  being  placed  at  each  end. 
The  worshipers  cross  in  canoes  hewed  out  of  the 
trunk  of  the  seisam-tree.  The  temple  is  built 


A    VIEW  OF  OUR  INDIAN  MISSIONS.        IO/ 

over  the  tomb  of  a  Brahmin,  who  was  a  Rishi 
and  the  founder  of  a  new  order.  Here  he  lived 
and  died,  thus  consecrating  the  spot ;  and  here 
priests  minister,  and  also  train  disciples.  Around 
the  lake  are  many  tombs,  some  quite  expensive, 
and  much  like  Mohammedan  sepulchers.  They 
are  a  curiosity,  as  the  Hindoos  generally  burn 
their  dead.  I  could  not  leave  that  million  of 
people  without  resolving  to  send  them  a  mis 
sionary. 

FYZABAD,    ROY   BAREILLY,    LUCKNOW. 

On  we  go  to  Fyzabad,  which  we  reach  in  the 
morning,  and  where  we  are  entertained  by  the 
assistant  magistrate,  Mr.  Smith,  who  drove  us 
round  the  city,  the  second  in  Oude,  and  through 
the  neighboring  city,  Ajoudia,  the  most  remarka 
ble  place  in  Northern  India.  It  is  supposed  by 
Buchanan  to  have  been  founded  1366  B.  C,  and 
is  said  by  some  native  authorities  to  have  been, 
at  one  time,  two  hundred  miles  long.  Its  antiq 
uity  is  not,  however,  its  chief  charm.  It  contains 
the  fort  of  Hanuman,  in  honor  of  the  fabulous 
monkey  god,  which  has  an  annual  revenue  of 
$25,000  settled  on  it  by  Sujah  ud  Dowlah. 
Here,  too,  is  the  ruined  fort  of  Rama,  hero  of 
the  Ramayana.  Our  approach  to  the  temple  of 
Hanuman  is  through  a  busy  market,  in  which 


IO8  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

the  principal  thing  sold  is  flowers  for  offerings. 
We  ascend  the  temple  by  a  long  flight  of  stone 
steps,  flanked  by  living  monkeys.  It  is  a  college 
or  theological  seminary,  endowed  with  lands,  and 
attended  by  four  hundred  priests,  who  are  monks 
under  the  control  of  a  superior,  said  to  be  one 
hundred  years  old.  He  was  seated  on  a  platform 
besmeared  with  the  symbols  of  his  god,  while  a 
young  priest  was  rubbing  him  to  revive  him.  In 
a  veranda  the  novices  are  attentively  and  rever 
ently  hearing  the  sacred  books  read  and  ex 
pounded. 

When  a  Rajah  builds  a  temple  he  sends  hither 
for  a  priest.  The  number  in  this  community  is 
large.  When  it  is  in  need  of  funds  it  sends  out 
a  priest  to  receive  alms  or  levy  tax.  The  offer 
ings  are  many  and  costly.  The  idol  is  a  misera 
ble-looking  object,  under  a  gold  canopy,  and  hav 
ing  a  crown  of  pearls,  which  on  special  occasions 
are  replaced  by  diamonds.  One  of  the  latter  was 
presented  by  Maharajah  Mann  Sing,  and  is  said 
to  be  next  to  the  Kohinoor.  Many  of  the  priests 
wear  long  hair  plaited  and  twisted  round  thethead 
in  form  of  a  cap.  One  said  that  his  hair  had  not 
been  cut  in  nine  years.  Entering  the  court-yard, 
we  saw  a  large  elephant  marked  as  a  worshiper. 
He  belonged  to  the  temple,  and  was  chained  by 
his  forefeet.  We  were  advised  to  beware  of  him. 


A   VIEW  OF  OUR  INDIAN  MISSIONS.        1 09 

On  we  go  to  a  temple  just  built  by  a  Rajah  at  a 
cost  of  $200,000.  The  painting  is  fresh,  and  bet 
ter  than  we  have  elsewhere  seen  in  India.  Many 
gods  are  represented  on  the  wall,  such  as  the 
Triad,  earth,  sun,  fire,  water.  The  moon  is  de 
picted  as  a  human  form  surrounded  by  twenty- 
seven  rivers.  The  most  noticeable  image  is  that 
of  a  man  out  of  whose  head  and  back  seven  ser 
pents  are  growing.  The  priest  said,  "  That  is  the 
supreme  god,"  and  supposing  we  did  not  appre 
hend  him,  he  added,  "Jesus  Christ."  We  noticed 
a  newshiwallah  near  by.  On  we  go  to  the  Ghat. 
Here  worshipers  are  bathing  in  the  Goggra.  A 
priest  being  informed  who  we  were,  cried  out,  "  I 
am  a  priest  of  the  Hindoos  ;  I  teach  them  ;  they 
do  as  I  bid  them."  He  had  just  been  feeding  an 
enormous  monkey.  We  pass  now  to  see  the  most 
sacred  spot  in  India,  Ram's  birthplace.  It  is 
marked  by  a  simple  broad  platform  of  pucca 
work,  on  which  rest  the  floral  offerings  of  the 
faithful.  When  the  Mohammedans  took  posses 
sion  of  the  place  they  transformed  the  adjacent 
temple  into  a  mosque.  The  Hindoos,  after  a 
dreadful  fight,  retook  the  place,  but  could  not 
retain  it  until  the  British  gave  it  to  them.  They 
have  not  yet  ha-d  courage  to  take  down  the 
mosque,  which,  however,  is  separated  from  the 
sacred  spot  by  a  stone  wall.  Fyzabad  has  75,000 


IIO  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

people,  and  is  increasing.  It  is  the  seat  of  con 
siderable  trade  and  manufactures.  The  hospital 
is  a  noble  structure,  which  was  built  by  a  resi 
dent  Rajah  at  a  cost  of  $25,000.  It  is  under  the 
care  of  Dr.  Wishaw  and  native  subordinates. 
The  patients  were  nearly  all  outside  in  the  sun, 
without  protection  even  for  the  head  ;  many  of 
them  were  from  the  hills.  Most  of  this  class 
had  goiter,  which  is  treated  successfully  with 
binoxide  of  mercury  applied  externally. 

On  our  way  through  the  city  we  are  delayed 
by  elephants,  who  take  up  the  road  and  move 
slowly.  Fyzabad  is  in  our  bounds,  and  ought  to 
have  been  occupied  by  us ;  but  the  Church  Mis 
sionary  Society  has  anticipated  us,  not  kindly. 

Our  next  journey  is  to  Roy  Bareilly,  distant 
eighty  miles,  or  seven  stations,  which  we  reach 
after  twenty-one  hours'  travel.  We  breakfast  by 
the  roadside  near  Mahangunj.  On  arriving  at 
brother  Wilson's  we  at  once  set  out  for  the  city, 
calling  on  the  way  upon  Major  Orr,  the  commis 
sioner.  He  was  once  in  the  service  of  the  king 
of  Oude,  but  during  the  mutiny  he  did  good 
service  on  the  staff  of  Sir  James  Outram.  The 
district  is  agricultural.  The  land  is  owned  by 
Talookdars,  of  whom  the  Government  requires 
half  the  produce  of  the  land,  besides  half  a  dollar 
per  cent,  for  roads,  and  another  for  schools.  As 


A    VIEW  OF  OUR  INDIAN  MISSIONS.        Ill 

Government  oppresses  the  Talookdars,  so  they, 
in  turn,  oppress  the  ryots. 

Our  station  has,  first,  a  house  in  cantonment, 
value,  $350,  to  be  used  in  the  new  building ; 
second,  three  acres  of  land,  near  the  city,  on 
which  we  pay  a  yearly  rent  of  $16.  On  this  is 
a  native  helper's  house,  value,  $175.  Third, 
church  and  school  furniture,  itinerating  appara 
tus,  etc.,  $26.  We  are  building  a  new  house  to 
cost  $550.  This  station  was  founded  March, 
1864.  Its  staff  is  the  missionary  and  his  wife 
and  two  exhorters.  We  have  a  native  congrega 
tion,  with  an  average  attendance  of  ten,  and  we 
already  number  three  members  and  three  proba 
tioners.  The  services  are,  Sabbath  morning, 
preaching  in  the  church,  bazaar  preaching  daily, 
except  Tuesdays  and  Saturdays,  generally  in  two 
places  at  the  same  time ;  class-meeting  every 
Tuesday;  prayer-meeting  every  Thursday.  Our 
native  members  are  dependent  on  the  mission ; 
namely,  native  helpers  and  the  moonshi.  There 
are  two  out-stations. 

Our  next  journey  is  to  Lucknow,  by  dhooley  ; 
but  when  within  twelve  miles  of  the  city  we 
meet  with  a  dog-cart  sent  out  for  us.  We  reach 
Mr.  Judd's  at  six  o'clock,  having  enjoyed,  on  the 
way,  a  fine  view  of  the  civil  and  military  lines, 
the  royal  palace  and  gardens,  and  been  deeply 


112  OUR    ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

impressed  with  the   Oriental   appearance  of  the 
city,  and  its  remains  of  former  grandeur. 

Next  day  is  Conference.  Before  this,  however, 
a  committee  waited  upon  me  to  read  a  memorial 
protest,  setting  forth  that  the  Conference  about 
to  be  formed  would  not  have  the  usual  rights  of 
such  a  body,  answering  certain  real  or  imaginary 
arguments  for  the  restrictions  under  which  it  was 
to  be  placed,  and  finally  asking  that  these  be 
removed  ;  a  document  which  will,  doubtless,  re 
ceive  respectful  consideration  at  the  General 
Conference.  The  session  was  remarkably  har 
monious.  Natives  were  admitted  and  ordained 
upon  an  equality  with  their  brethren  from  Amer 
ica.  There  was  some  misgiving  in  regard  to  this 
policy,  but  I  feel  certain  that  it  is  right.  The 
preachers  admitted  are  well  qualified,  and  could 
pass  a  satisfactory  examination  in  any  of  our 
Conferences.  To  exclude  them,  or  put  them  un 
der  any  disability  on  account  of  color,  would  be 
at  once  a  blunder  and  a  sin. 

In  Hosinabad,  a  part  of  Lucknow,  we  have  five 
acres,  on  which  are  two  dwelling-houses,  one  66 
by  69  feet,  containing  five  large  rooms  and  tei 
small  ones,  value,  $2,850;  the  other,  45  by  73 
feet,  having  ten  rooms,  value,  $2,400.  Both  are 
pucca. 

In    this    estimate    we    include    native    helpers' 


A    VIEW  OF  OUR   INDIAN  MISSIONS.        113 

houses,  gates,  walls,  and  wells.  We  have  also 
a  school-house  in  the  bazaar.  It  is  76  by  90 
feet,  containing  eight  rooms  and  a  basement  with 
six.  It  stands  on  a  quarter  of  an  acre,  free  of 
rent,  value,  $3,000.  We  have  a  school-house 
and  dwelling  at  Sadatgunj,  the  former  worth 
$250,  the  latter  $300.  In  the  east  part  of  the 
city  we  have  a  residence  and  church  worth 
$3,000;  in  Hosinabad  we  have  a  graveyard  in 
which  are  the  graves  of  Downey  and  others. 
This  is  estimated  at  $50.  Add  church  and 
school  furniture  and  itinerating  facilities,  $630, 
and  we  have  a  total  of  $12,466  in  this  station. 

To  the  property  of  the  mission  must  be  added 
the  outfits  of  the  treasurer,  secretary,  and  sani 
tarium,  $110.  The  station  of  Lucknow  has  one 
native  preacher,  one  exhorter,  eight  school-teach 
ers,  an  average  native  congregation  of  thirty 
persons,  a  Sunday-school  of  fifty-five  pupils,  a 
native  church  of  eleven  adult  members  and  eight 
probationers,  a  class-meeting,  with  an  average 
attendance  of  twelve  members,  a  day-school  of 
one  hundred  and  fifty-seven  pupils,  and  an  av 
erage  daily  attendance  of  one  hundred  and  thirty. 
We  had  an  English  congregation,  but  it  passed 
into  the  hands  of  the  Wesleyans.  They,  how 
ever,  returned  the  church  to  us  during  my  visit. 
Our  school  is  in  competent  hands. 
A  3 


114  OUR   ORIENTAL   MISSIONS. 

What  Julian  said  of  Damascus  we  may  say  of 
Lucknow:  "Surpassing  every  [Indian]  city  both 
in  the  beauty  of  its  temples  and  the  magnitude 
of  its  shrines,  as  well  as  the  timeliness  of  its 
seasons,  the  limpidness  of  its  fountains,"  if  not 
the  volume  of  its  waters,  and  the  richness  of  its 
soil. 

The  plain  statement  of  facts  and  estimates 
given  in  these  papers  is  deemed  due  both  to  the 
missions  and  the  Church.  The  facts  may  at  first 
sight  seem  uninteresting,  but  they  throw  light 
upon  the  condition  and  character  of  the  country. 
The  estimates,  it  should  be  borne  in  mind,  are 
upon  a  gold  basis,  and  the  property  having  been 
built  in  a  land  where  wages  are  exceedingly  low, 
is  far  superior  to  what  the  mere  figures  might 
indicate. 

On  the  whole,  it  will  be  seen  that  our  India 
missions  deserve  the  confidence  of  the  Church, 
and  the  more  fully  they  are  understood  the  more 
strong  will  that  confidence  be.  No  one  could 
have  been  a  more  pleasant  companion  than  Dr. 
Butler.  Had  I  been  a  son  he  could  not  have 
treated  me  with  more  kindness. 


VI. 

INDIA   CONFERENCE. 

THE  following  is  the  address  which  I  deliv 
ered  at  the  opening  of  the  first  session  of 
the  India  Mission  Annual  Conference: 

Before  we  proceed  to  organize  I  beg  to  submit 
a  few  remarks  which  our  unusual  circumstances 
suggest. 

I  come  from  your  native  land,  bearing  from 
your  brethren  greeting  and  love.  The  country 
and  Church  which  sent  you  hither  remember 
you.  Identified  as  you  are  with  the  cause  of 
God  in  this  great  and  populous  peninsula,  it  is 
natural  that  we  should  bear  you  up  in  our 
prayers.  Nor  are  we  unmindful  of  your  trials. 
It  is  no  small  matter  to  bid  farewell  to  home 
and  native  lands  ;  to  settle  in  a  climate  which  is 
pretty  sure  to  disturb  our  health,  if  it  do  not 
abridge  our  life  ;  to  rear  our  children  under  in 
fluences  and  institutions  which  we  disapprove, 
and  forfeit  for  them  literary,  social,  and  political 


Il6  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

privileges,  to  which,  in  our  own  land,  they  would 
have  fallen  heirs  ;  to  move  amid  foes,  and  to  be 
regarded  as  intruders.  It  is  a. still  greater  trial, 
far  from  a  land  of  Sabbath  bells,  separated  from 
the  watch-care  of  the  Church,  and  deprived  of 
the  communion  of  the  saints,  to  be  subjected, 
through  every  sense,  to  pagan  influences.  He 
who  moves  amid  the  temples  of  idolatry  moves 
in  a  great  moral  pest-house.  Nothing  but  open, 
perpetual,  prayerful  resistance  to  the  forces  that 
play  upon  him  can  keep  him  safe.  The  human 
mind,  unsustained  by  grace,  gravitates  to  relig 
ious  error.  The  Mohammedans  entered  India 
enemies  both  to  idolatry  and  caste,  but  instead 
of  destroying  them  they  gradually  adopted  them. 
Christianity,  too,  on  its  first  introduction  into 
this  land,  compromised  its  principles.  Even  the 
primitive  Church,  when  she  relaxed  her  war 
upon  idolatry,  became  polluted  by  it. 

You  do  not,  however,  ask  our  sympathy.  Pen 
etrated  with  your  high  calling,  you  are  ready  to 
deny  yourselves,  endure  afflictions,  make  full 
proof  of  your  ministry,  and  through  perils  either 
by  sea  or  land,  by  robbers  or  false  brethren,  re 
main  unmoved ;  willing,  if  need  be,  to  die  for 
the  Lord  Jesus,  and  when  you  do,  to  commend 
to  your  children  the  battle  you  fought,  commit 
ting  them  confidently  to  the  care  of  your  Father, 


INDIA    CONFERENCE.  1 1/ 

and  their  Father,  to  whom  you  ascend  through 
the  grace  of  his  Son. 

We  know,  indeed,  that  no  lower  standard  is 
set  before  us.  We,  too,  have  learned  to  bear 
the  reproach  of  Christ.  But  we  discern  that  in 
you  the  Christian  conflict  is  more  than  ordina 
rily  severe,  and  -we  inquire  what  more  can  we  do 
for  you,  what  new  comforts,  auxiliaries,  and  sup 
ports  can  we  send  you  ?  Engaged  as  we  are  in 
a  war  for  the  national  life,  against  an  unprovoked, 
wanton,  and  wicked  rebellion — I  say  unpro 
voked,  for  no  encroachment  on  the  rights  of  the 
South  was  either  inflicted  or  threatened  ;  wan 
ton,  for  the  insurgents  controlled  all  branches  of 
the  Government  when  they  rebelled,  and  might 
have  held  them  to  this  day ;  wicked,  for  what 
more  so  than  to  sever  States 

"  Which  mutual  league, 
United  thoughts  and  counsels,  equal  hope 
And  hazard  in  all  glorious  enterprises," 

had  joined,  and  plunged  them  into  war,  even  to 
the  verge  of  ruin?  Yet  we  have  never  once 
thought  of  withholding  support  from  our  mis 
sions,  or  even  slacking  the  combat  which  we 
carry  on  through  the  earth  against  the  powers 
of  darkness.  Saying  this,  we  say  much,  for  our 
war  is  one  of  awful  magnitude,  counting  its  bat 
tles  by  the  hundred,  its  dead  and  wounded  by 


Il8  OUR   ORIENTAL   MISSIONS. 

the  million,  and  its  expenditures  by  figures  like 
those  in  which  we  compute  the  celestial  spaces. 
Yet  we  say  to  you,  stand  to  your  post ;  we  will 
not  only  supply  but  re-enforce  you.  You  can  not 
do  our  Church  justice  without  considering  that 
she  has  poured  out  more  blood  and  suffered 
more  losses  for  her  country  than  any  other. 

"  Many  a  bleeding  father  hath  borne  his  valiant  sons 
In  coffins  from  the  field." 

The  tears  of  orphans,  and  the  sighs  of  widows, 
and  the  lamentations  of  weeping  Rachels  that 
will  not  be  comforted,  make  the  whole  Church 
like  a  funeral  procession.  But  I  need  not  tell 
you,  for  the  crape  is  upon  you  also.  Do  you 
ask  why  this  expenditure  of  life?  Because  there 
are  things  dearer  than  life.  The  Church  regards 
the  war,  terrible  as  it  .is,  as,  on  the  part  of  the 
Government,  unavoidable  and  righteous,  arising 
out  of  the  existence  in  some  of  the  States  of  an 
institution  incompatible  alike  with  the  genius  of 
our  republic,  the  spirit  of  our  age,  and  the  prin 
ciples  of  our  religion ;  an  institution  toward 
which,  in  former  days,  she  was  tolerant  and 
hopeful,  but  which  she  has  now  placed  under 
unequivocal  ban.  Seeing  that  law,  liberty,  and 
light  are  on  one  side  of  this  conflict,  and  rebell 
ion,  slavery,  and  darkness  on  the  other,  we  can 
but  hope  concerning  the  issue.  Men,  indeed, 


INDIA    CONFERENCE.  1 19 

tell  us  that  reunion  is  impossible,  as  if  our  ad 
versary  had 

"The  unconquerable  will 
And  study  of  revenge,  immortal  hate 
And  courage  never  to  submit  or  yield." 

Such  spirit  is  not  found  outside  of  hell ;  least 
of  all,  among  those  who  bow  at  the  altar  of  Jesus. 
While 

"  Devil  with  devil  damned  firm  concord  holds, 
Shall  States  of  creatures  rational,  though  under  hope 
Of  heavenly  grace,  forever  disagree  ?" 

and  while  earth  and  heaven  cry  peace, 

"  Yet  live  in  hatred,  enmity,  and  strife, 
Among  themselves,  and  levy  cruel  wars, 
Wasting  the  earth  each  other  to  destroy ;" 

as  if  the  Union  had  not  foes  enough  besides, 

"That  day  and  night  for  its  destruction  wait." 

Should  the  war  end  as  we  anticipate,  it  will 
leave  us  a  stronger  Government,  a  more  homo 
geneous  people,  and  a  higher  civilization,  while 
it  removes  the  only  motive  for  disunion. 

Of  the  noble  warriors  that  have  fallen  in  the 
conflict  on  both  sides,  we  say,  let  loving  friends 
give  them  honorable  graves ;  but  of  slavery,  as 
the  poet  says  of  Tamora, 

"No  funeral  rite,  nor  man  in  mournful  weeds, 
No  mournful  bell  shall  ring  her  burial ; 
But  throw  her  forth  to  beasts  and  birds  of  prey. 
Her 'life  was  beastlike,  and  devoid  of  pity; 
And,  being  so,  shall  have  like  want  of  pity." 


I2O  OUR   ORIENTAL   MISSIONS. 

Then  shall  our  land  be  the  hope  and  refuge 
equally  of  every  tribe,  kindred,  tongue,  and  color. 
At  such  a  consummation  men  might  utter  praise, 
and  angels  halleluiahs  ;  none  more  so  than  mis 
sionaries.  When  we  come  proclaiming  the  father 
hood  of  God  and  the  brotherhood  of  man,  and 
those  two  precepts  founded  on  them,  upon  which 
hang  both  the  law  and  the  prophets,  the  heathen 
might  say,  "Go  back;  preach  them  to  your  own 
people  first."  A  native  newspaper  has  just  ad 
monished  us  not  to  boast  of  the  results  of 
Christianity,  since  American  Christianity  sanc 
tions  slavery.  The  United  States,  planted  be 
tween  the  Atlantic  and  the  Pacific,  as  if  to 
throw  her  influence  over  both,  given  to  the  best 
races,  unequaled  in  the  products  of  her  soil 
and  treasures  of  her  mountains,  unembarrassed 
by  the  political  complications  and  institutions 
of  the  Old  World,  and  free  from  temptation  to 
conquer  the  distant  lands,  seems  intended  to 
be  the  great  missionary  nation.  Is  it  no  advan 
tage  to  say,  "  We  own  no  provinces,  we  desire 
none  ;  we  exercise  no  authority  over  you,  and 
seek  no  gain  of  you ;  all  we  seek  is  to  bring  you 
to  Christ  ?" 

Our  difficulties  in  spreading  the  Gospel  in 
this  land  are  great,  yet  in  all  of  them  we  find 
grounds  of  encouragement.  One  of  the  greatest 


INDIA    CONFERENCE.  121 

difficulties  arises  from  a  deep  conviction  in  the 
minds  of  the  natives  that  strangers  in  propagat 
ing-  their  religion  have  some  selfish  end  in  view. 
While  our  national  relations  relieve  us  in  great 
measure  from  this  imputation,  it  is  hoped  that 
our  neat,  though  inexpensive  homes,  our  health 
ful  but  frugal  tables,  our  kind  consideration  of 
the  poor,  and  our  whole  life  and  conversation, 
will  convince  the  natives  that  not  personal  inter 
est  but  the  love  of  Christ  constraineth  us.  In 
deed,  if  this  be  in  us  it  will  be  known,  for  the 
world  is  a  "palace  full  of  tongues,  and  eyes,  and 
ears,"  each  thrilling  with  deep  and  scrutinizing 
intelligence. 

Another  difficulty  lies  in  the  fact  that  Chris 
tians  who  preceded  us  have  depreciated  their 
religion.  An  emperor  of  Japan  being  asked 
what  was  the  religion  of  the  Dutch,  replied, 
"They  are  merchants;"  and  when  the  question 
was  asked  again,  answered,  "  Merchants  ;  mer 
chants  have  no  religion  but  to  make  money." 
And  what  of  the  English  ?  It  is  not  the  whole 
truth  to  say,  as  Lord  Bentinck  did,  that  the  fun 
damental  maxim  of  British  rule  is  strict  neu 
trality;  or  as  Lord  Macaulay,  "We  abstain  from 
giving  any  encouragement  to  those  engaged  in 
the  work  of  converting  the  natives  to  Christi 
anity  ;"  or  as  Lord  Ellenborough,  "We  withhold 


122         f         OUR   ORIENTAL   MISSIONS. 

the  aid  of  the  Government  from  schools  with 
which  missionaries  are  connected."  The  East 
India  Company  withheld  private  aid.  Lord 
Landsdowne  declared  that  if  Lord  Canning  had 
subscribed  to  a  Missionary  Society  he  ought  to 
be  removed.  They  neglected  religion  themselves. 
For  fifty  years  they  had  no  place  of  worship. 
For  two  hundred  years  they  sought  to  prevent 
attempts  to  convert  the  natives.  Down  to  1813 
they  refused  all  missionaries  passage  in  their 
ships,  denied  them  permission  to  land,  and  if 
they  effected  a  landing  drove  them  from  their 
shores.  In  1814  they  debarred  native  Christians 
from  offices  of  respectability.  Nor  was  this  neg 
ative  support  of  idolatry  all.  They  repaired  pa 
godas  by  taxing  pilgrims,  expended  large  sums  at 
the  request  of  priests  for  the  support  of  heathen 
and  Mohammedan  worship,  administered  reve 
nues  in  connection  with  pagan  temples,  and  even 
took  a  share  in  heathen  festivals. 

The  Company,  we  grant,  advanced  the  intelli 
gence,  developed  the  resources,  and  diminished 
the  crime  of  the  country  ;  and  after  it  allowed 
the  Christian  faith  to  enlighten  the  native  mind, 
it  drew  a  distinction  between  morality  and  relig 
ion,  and  forbade  the  destruction  of  human  life 
in  heathen  ceremonies,  as  under  other  circum 
stances  ;  but  its  whole  course  was  characterized 


INDIA    CONFERENCE.  123 

by  a  proud  bearing,  an  insatiable  avarice,  and  an 
all-devouring  encroachment.  The  personal  influ 
ence  of  the  English  rulers  did  not  counteract 
their  political  course.  While  they  did  not  prac 
tice  polygamy,  many  of  them  did  worse.  The 
natives  therefore  thought  either  that  we  despised 
our  own  religion,  or  that,  concealing  our  designs, 
we  intended  to  convert  them  to  it  by  a  trick, 
such  as  greasing  cartridges ;  a  thought  which 
never  could  have  entered  their  minds  had  they 
understood  our  faith.  Rebellion,  instead  of  con 
version,  was  the  natural  result. 

In  suppressing  it  martial  law  was  proclaimed, 
the  property  of  rebels  confiscated,  searches  and 
seizures  made  without  warrant,  suspected  persons 
hung,  and  Sepoys  blown  from  guns.  We  do  not 
say  all  this  was  unnecessary,  though  we  may  be 
allowed  a  parenthesis  in  which  to  remark  that 
the  people  who  put  down  an  insurrection  in  this 
way  should  not  reproach  another  for  seeking  to 
put  down  a  more  formidable  revolt  by  means 
less  severe ;  and  to  add,  what  is  more  to  our 
purpose,  that  this  bloody  process  had  a  tempo 
rary  tendency  to  hinder  the  spread  among  the 
conquered  of  the  religion  of  the  conquerors. 
Horrible  as  it  was,  however,  it  was  hardly  to  be 
deplored,  since  it  seems  to  have  settled  the  ques 
tion  of  the  permanence  of  European  civilization 


124  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

and  Christian  faith  in  this  peninsula,  and  to  have 
placed  the  country  under  the  direct  government 
of  a  Christian  sovereign  of  distinguished  virtues, 
whose  present  viceroy  and  subordinate  governors 
are  worthy  representatives  of  such  a  queen.  Our 
Articles  of  Religion  require  us  not  only  to  be 
subject  to  the  supreme  civil  authority,  but  to  use 
all  laudable  means  to  secure  obedience  to  the 
powers  that  be.  Happy  are  we  that  our  civil 
duty  is  our  personal  pleasure.  Under  the  flag 
whose  protection  we  accept,  we  may  see  every  in 
terest  of  the  country,  political,  commercial,  and 
religious,  steadily  and  rapidly  advancing,  and  the 
fabled  reign  of  Tisso  realized  :  precious  metals 
and  gems  buried  in  the  earth  rising  to  the  sur 
face,  treasures  sunk  in  the  sea  appearing  on  the 
shore,  and  bamboos  rearing  themselves  laden 
with  richest  flowers,  quadrupeds,  and  fruits.  The 
providence  of  God  moves  in 

"  Mazes  intricate, 
Eccentric,  intervolved,  yet  regular 
Then  most,  when  most  irregular  they  seem ; 
And  in  their  motions  harmony  divine 
So  smooths  her  charming  tones,  that  God's  own  ear 
Listens  delighted;" 

while  even  the  wrath  of  man  praises  him. 

Formerly,  Indian  patriotism  may  have  sug 
gested  the  expulsion  of  the  Christian  faith ;  now 
it  suggests  its  adoption.  For  as  soon  as  India 


INDIA    CONFERENCE.  12$ 

shall  accept  the  religion  of  Christ  and  the  civili 
zation  which  grows  out  of  it,  England  will  vol 
untarily  retire  from  her  shores.  Should  she  do 
so  before  she  would  commit  a  great  crime,  and 
India  suffer  a  great  misfortune. 

But  greater  difficulties  confront  us.  Caste 
stereotypes  humanity,  and  bids  defiance  to  any 
force  to  break  up  its  plates.  It  makes  him  who 
becomes  a  Christian  an  outcast;  it  deprives  him 
of  the  advantages  of  association,  of  the  profits 
of  business,  of  all  the  sweet  charities  of  father, 
son,  brother,  and  often  even  of  wife  and  child. 
It  drives  him  from  men  to  dwell  among  beasts. 
It  enters  not  only  into  the  social  but  the  national 
life.  It  can  not  be  defied  without  a  ripeness  for 
martyrdom.  None  can  appreciate  it  but  such  as 
come  in  contact  with  it.  Originating  with  the 
priesthood,  and  designed  to  perpetuate  their 
power,  it  is  guarded  by  them  with  a  sleepless 
eye.  Yet  it  is  nevertheless  doomed.  There  is  a 
revolution  which  it  can  not  resist,  a  revolution 
without  pomp,  or  retinue,  or  violence,  or  corrupt 
ing  gold  ;  it  is  the  revolution  of  ideas.  Every 
movement  of  the  pen  over  the  paper,  or  the 
electric  stream  over  the  wires,  or  of  the  school- 
house  door  upon  its  hinges,  or  of  the  fire-breath 
ing  horse  over  his  iron  track,  marks  its  progress. 
Caste  is  inconsistent  with  principles  which  are 


126  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

self-evident  and  rights  which  are  inalienable. 
All  men  are  naturally  free  and  equal,  and  ought 
to  be  allowed  life,  liberty,  and  the  pursuit  of  hap 
piness,  unembarrassed  by  hinderances  which  the 
providence  of  God  does  not  impose,  and  unaided 
by  distinctions  which  merit  or  its  consequences 
do  not  confer. 

Below  caste  lie  greater  difficulties :  supersti 
tion,  bigotry,  idolatry.  Among  minds  unaccus 
tomed  to  patient  and  vigorous  thought,  events 
which  are  merely  connected  by  accidental  asso 
ciation  are  often  viewed  in  the  relation  of  cause 
and  effect.  Hence  unlucky  days,  absurd  reme 
dies  for  disease,  and  omens  of  good  and  evil. 
Among  those  unacquainted  with  natural  sci 
ences  and  unguided  by  a  divine  revelation,  noth 
ing  is  more  easy  than  to  attribute  unusual  events 
to  supernatural  powers.  From  this  it  is  a  slight 
step  to  body  forth  and  name  these  images  of  the 
mind,  and  thus  people  heaven  and  earth  with 
supernal  and  infernal  divinities.  Then  we  must 
pour  forth  our  gratitude  to  the  one  and  appease 
the  malignity  of  the  other.  Hence  oblations  and 
sacrifices.  These  require  a  priesthood  ;  and  a 
profane  priesthood  once  created  will  secure  its 
permanence  and  enlarge  its  power  by  keeping 
the  people  in  ignorance.  Even  could  we  suppose 
men  enlightened  without  revelation  the  same 


INDIA    CONFERENCE. 


127 


result  might  be  expected.  The  human  heart  is 
made  to  reverence  something.  It  is  to  the  credit 
of  India  that  she  reasoned  herself  up  to  the  most 
sublime  theology,  and  to  her  shame  that  she 
reasoned  herself  down  to  the  lowest  depths  of 
idolatry.  She  said,  Let  us  worship  Brahma,  the 
greatest.  Where  shall  we  find  it?  Not  in  the 
stream  that  fertilizes  the  land,  nor  the  sun  which 
warms  it,  for  the  parts  are  not  so  great  as  the 
whole.  Shall  it  then  be  the  universe?  But 
what  were  the  universe  without  eyes  to  see  its 
beauty,  ears  to  catch  its  harmony,  and  hearts  to 
enjoy  its  bounty?  Spirit  is  greater  than  matter. 
Let  it  then  be  greatest.  But  what  spirit?  The 
spirit  of  man  is  greater  than  that  of  beasts. 
Shall  man  then  worship  his  own  spirit  ?  If  so, 
in  what  mood  ?  for  it  has  various  moods.  The 
spirit  awake  is  impressed  and  modified  by  mate 
rial  objects.  The  spirit  dreaming,  which  sees 
only  spiritual  objects,  must  be  greater  than  the 
spirit  waking.  But  this  is  moved  to  laughter  or 
to  weeping,  and  is  after  all  conscious  of  the  un 
real  nature  of  its  scenes.  Is  not  the  spirit  in 
repose,  unagitated  by  passion  or  motion,  greater 
than  either  the  waking  or  dreaming  one?  But 
this  is  an  unconscious  state ;  there  must  be 
something  greater:  the  Spirit  which  created  it 
and  all  other  things,  the  Spirit  of  the  universe. 


128  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

But  this  is  infinite,  invisible,  intangible,  and 
therefore  can  not  be  comprehended.  But  his 
functions  can — creation,  preservation,  destruc 
tion  ;  hence  Brahma,  Vishnu,  Siva.  But  these 
are  abstractions.  The  masses  said  to  the  phi 
losophers,  We  can  not  love  what  AVC  can  not 
understand,  and  we  will  not  worship  what  we 
can  not  love.  We  will  have  gods  nearer  and 
warmer.  In  looking  for  a  god  they  found  a  man. 
Rama  had  extraordinary  virtues.  They  said, 
"  Here  is  one  greater  than  human,  he  must  be  a 
god."  When  he  dies  he  is  transported  in  imag 
ination  to  the  heavens.  In  process  of  time  it  is 
found  easy,  among  a  credulous  people,  without 
contemporaneous  literature  or  knowledge  of  the 
laws  of  evidence,  to  enlarge  his  powers  and  ex 
aggerate  his  virtues  by  myths.  One  god  having 
been  introduced  into  the  Pantheon  others  follow. 
Moreover,  if  that  which  brings  deliverance  or 
pleasure  is  to  be  deified,  then  the  stream  which 
waters  and  the  sun  which  enlightens  the  land, 
and  the  rock  which  throws  its  shadow  over  the 
weary  path,  may  be  worshiped,  and  that  which 
affords  the  greatest  pleasure  with  the  least 
trouble  may  be  worshiped  most.  Thus  gods  are 
multiplied  until  they  number  three  hundred  and 
thirty-three  millions.  The  character  ascribed  to 
them  and  the  devotions  devised  for  them,  com- 


INDIA    CONFERENCE.  129 

ing  from  the  human  heart,  where  lurk  evil 
thoughts,  murders,  adulteries,  etc.,  must  be  cor 
rupting  and  degrading.  No  wonder  that  at 
length  thieves,  and  drunkards,  and  adulterers,  and 
beasts  become  gods,  and  riot  and  lasciviousness 
crown  the  ceremonies  of  the  sanctuary.  When 
men  come  to  model  heaven, 

"  How  they  wield 

The  mighty  frame;   how  build,  unbuild,  contrive 
To  save  appearances ;  how  gird  the  sphere 
With  centric  and  eccentric  scribbled  o'er, 
Cycle  and  epicycle,  orb  in  orb;" 

yet  every  progress  of  thought  "  making  con 
fusion  worse  confounded."  Indian  idolatry  has 
touched  bottom.  As  I  stood  in  the  holy  city 
Benares,  every  sense  disgusted,  and  every  feeling 
merged  in  indignation,  contemplating  the  stupid 
ity,  the  odiousness,  the  obscenity,  the  discord, 
the  beastliness  of  that  center  of  pagan  worship, 
I  thought,  Surely  it  can  get  no  lower  without 
opening  the  mouth  of  hell.  I  exclaimed,  within 
myself,  "  Almighty  God !  to  what  depths  of  dark 
ness  and  depravity  are  thy  rational  creatures 
capable  of  descending,  when  they  turn  away 
from  the  revelation  of  love  and  mercy  !"  As  I 
looked  upon  a  Fakir  seated  by  the  Ganges, 
naked,  haggard,  worn  to  a  skeleton,  and  covered 
with  ashes,  I  thought  I  knew  what  it  i.s  to  be 
damned. 

A  9 


130  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

The  human  mind  having  reached  its  limit  of 
false  theology  must  recoil.  Hindooism  is  like  a 
building  whose  walls  are  honeycombed,  and  whose 
rafters  are  tunneled  by  ants.  That  a  system  so 
monstrous  has  stood  so  long,  we  can  easily  com 
prehend.  The  power  of  the  priesthood  has  been 
cemented  for  ages  ;  the  religion  is  inwoven  with 
the  national  life  and  social  habits  of  the  people. 
The  distinctions  transmitted  through  ages,  the 
festivals  to  which  the  people  are  used,  the  arts 
and  manufactures,  the  literature  and  science  in 
which  they  excel,  the  laws  and  courts  which 
kindle  their  bosoms  with  a  patriot's  flame ;  all, 
it  is  feared,  must  fall  with  the  national  faith. 
Moreover,  all  religion  has  a  foundation  in  truth ; 
namely,  that  the  universe  is  under  the  guidance 
of  supernatural  powers.  And  the  more  vener 
able  the  truth,  the  more  permanent  the  error 
grafted  upon  it.  The  god  that  is  first  associated 
with  our  sacred  thoughts,  to  which  we  lift  up 
infant  hands,  and  which  we  bless  with  lips 
fresh  from  a  mother's  breast,  can  not  be  easily 
displaced  from  the  heart.  We  know  how  su 
perstition  lingers  even  in  Christian  lands  and 
philosophic  minds.  Yet  even  this  should  not 
discourage  us,  but  rather  teach  us  the  proper 
modes  of  assault. 

Harmless  as  doves,  let  us  be  wise  as  serpents. 


INDIA    CONFERENCE.  131 

111  pouring  contempt  upon  the  Puranas,  and  ex 
posing  the  institutes  of  Menu,  we  may  point 
Hindoos  to  their  more  venerable  and  pure  theol 
ogy.  The  Veclas  afford  us  a  stand-point.  The 
nation  that  was  among  the  earliest  to  syllogize 
and  geometrize,  and  to  reason  up  to  the  sub- 
limest  heights  of  metaphysics,  can  be  shamed 
out  of  that  idolatry  which  so  degrades  and  stu 
pefies  man,  and  misrepresents,  and  abuses,  and 
slanders  God;  substituting  blocks  and  beasts  for 
Him  who  makes  the  clouds  his  chariot,  the 
thunder  his  voice,  the  earth  his  footstool,  and 
the  heaven  his  throne.  Then  there  are  tradi 
tions  which  we  may  press  into  our  service.  The 
incarnation  is  admitted  by  Hindoos ;  we  have 
only  to  identify  Christ  with  it.  I  envy  the 
brother  to  be  stationed  at  Sumbul.  Beneath 
that  temple  guarded  and  venerated  as  the  cradle 
of  an  incarnate  God,  who  is  to  come  as  a  Savior 
of  mankind,  I  would  preach  as  Paul  did  at  the 
altar  of  the  unknown  God.  I  envy,  too,  those 
who  preach  to  intelligent  Mohammedans,  the 
privilege  of  quoting  the  testimony  of  the  Koran 
to  the  Law,  the  Prophets,  and  the  Evangel. 
We  must  teach  the  Natural  Sciences,  and  show 
how  the  universe  is  governed  by  fixed  laws 
devised  by  an  infinite  and  eternal  mind,  who, 
nevertheless,  answers  prayer  according  to  his 


132  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

promise,  not  perhaps  by  altering  physical  laws, 
but  by  adjustments  of  humanity  to  them  through 
the  higher  laws  of  the  spiritual  world.  Thus 
men  will  learn  to  dread  only  sin,  and  seek  relief 
only  in  prayer  to  our  Heavenly  Father,  through 
Jesus  Christ,  his  Son !  We  must  teach  the 
young,  both  because  of  the  ease  with  which  im 
pressions  are  made  upon  their  minds,  and  be 
cause  of  the  durability  of  such  impressions, 
which  are  inwoven  with  the  very  texture  of  the 
soul.  If  you  would  write  your  words  in  a  book; 
if  you  would  cut  them  on  the  lead  with  stylet 
of  iron  ;  if  you  would  drive  them  with  chisel  and 
mallet  into  the  rock;  if  you  would  send  them 
down  the  ages,  and  centuries,  and  millenniums, 
ay,  into  eternity,  write  upon  the  young  soul. 
The  knowledge  of  late  years  seems  to  crumble 
off  in  the  storms  of  time,  leaving  the  impres 
sions  of  the  sweet  period  of  prime.  How  often 
do  we  see  the  Ceylonese  or  Hindoo  convert  re 
lapse  in  age  or  sickness!  According  to  Lucian, 
the  name  Ptolemy  was  inscribed  on  the  Pharos — 
that  proud  monument  of  Alexandria.  But  the 
artist,  to  secure  the  glory  of  the  work,  cut  his 
own  name  in  the  stone,  and  the  monarch's  in 
the  stucco  that  covered  it ;  so  that  in  process 
of  time  the  stucco  falling,  revealed  the  record 
of  the  architect.  In  teaching  youth,  beware 


INDIA    CONFERENCE.  133 

whom  you  employ.  Remember  the  power  of  a 
master,  ipse  dixit.  I  have  no  faith  in  heathen 
teachers.  The  Brahmin  teaching  the  Bible  is 
the  Greek  bearing  gifts  to  Troy.  You  could 
teach  the  Koran  so  that  no  pupil  would  believe 
it.  In  estimating  your  work,  men  may  count 
your  one  hundred  and  sixty-four  converts.  Look 
rather  to  your  thirteen  hundred  and  twenty-two 
scholars.  A  few  years  will  reduce  the  former  to 
zero,  but  multiply  the  latter  by  five.  Especially 
may  we  regard  with  hope  the  education  of  fe 
males.  Inferior,  ignorant  as  the  Hindoo  mother 
may  be,  her  influence  is  well-nigh  irresistible. 
She  needs  but  breathe  her  faith  upon  her  little 
one,  and  though  her  lord  may  instruct,  and 
argue,  and  confound,  she  knows,  alas !  too  well 
how  to  intermix  grateful  digressions, 

"And  solve  high  dispute 
With  conjugal  caresses." 

From  her  lips  flow  sweeter  things  than  words. 
Even  British  officers  have  painted  themselves 
and  danced  to  idols,  to  please  woman  less  than 
wife.  Satan  needed  not  to  trouble  himself  about 
Adam  after  he  had  captured  Eve.  Nor  will 
India  be  retaken  from  him  until  we  imitate  his 
tactics,  and  attack  it  at  that  side  which,  though 
strongest  for  our  defense,  is  weakest  to  our 
assault  ;  for  woman  is  oppressed  and  depressed 


134  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

by  idolatry.  If  she  lost  Paradise  by  her  desire 
of  knowledge,  may  she  not  be  induced  to  regain 
it  by  tasting  the  same  inviting  fruit  ? 

Our  greatest  difficulty  arises  from  the  opposi 
tion  of  our  enemies,  and  our  apparent  want  of 
success.  Temples  are  multiplying,  priests  are 
active,  emissaries  of  error  are  abroad,  tracts  are 
distributed  from  Benares,  the  abominations  of 
the  temple  are  explained  to  intelligent  natives  as 
symbolical,  dying  pagans  make  continued  faith 
in  paganism  on  the  part  of  their  legatees  a  con 
dition  of  their  bequests.  But  all  this  indicates 
a  fear  that  their  religion  is  in  danger. 

And  have  we  no  success  ?  Is  it  nothing  that 
old  pagan  civilizations  are  crumbling  ;  that  re 
ligions  originating  centuries  before  the  Christian 
are  giving  way  at  its  advance  ;  that  people  who 
boasted  letters,  and  arts,  and  arms  when  our 
ancestors  were  painted  savages,  pursued  in  Brit 
ish  woods  or  sold  in  Roman  markets,  are  obedi 
ent  to  a  Christian  sovereign ;  that  heathenism  is 
every-where  hedged  about  by  civil  law;  that 
Juggernaut  is  deprived  of  his  prey,  and  the 
widow  saved  from  the  funeral  flames ;  that  the 
sharks  of  the  Ganges  are  suffering  a  famine  of 
living  human  flesh  ;  the  priests  often  confessing 
that  they  minister  only  for  their  stomach's  sake  ; 
the  pundits  declaring  that  there  is  nothing  in 


INDIA    CONFERENCE.  135 

the  idol ;  that  the  whole  population  of  the  pen 
insula  is  accessible  to  Christian  teaching;  that 
pice  will  purge  a  man  for  contempt  of  caste  ; 
that  missions  are  established  in  all  the  cities  of 
the  land,  and  school-houses  planted  in  the  hills 
and  the  valleys  ;  that  we  have  had  an  increase 
of  forty-four  thousand  converts  in  the  last  dis 
turbed  decade ;  that  sluggish  mind  is  awaked 
from  its  sleep  of  ages  ;  that  Naamans,  while 
they  bow  in  the  house  of  Rimmon,  say  in  their 
hearts,  "  The  Lord  pardon  thy  servant  in  this 
thing ;"  that  Mohammedan  and  Pagan  Nicode- 
muses  come  to  Christian  teachers  by  night ;  that 
the  pulpit,  like  the  Master,  is  constrained  to 
cry  out,  "  Were  there  not  ten  cleansed,  but 
where  are  the  nine  ?" 

Earth's  birthday  was  when  God  said  "  Let 
there  be  light,"  though  this  light  was  diffused, 
penetrating  the  void,  chasing  the  darkness, 
warming,  preparing.  It  was  not  until  the  fourth 
day,  after  an  earthly  and  heavenly  convulsion, 
that  God  gathered  the  beams  to  their  chambers 
in  the  sun,  and  showed  the  earth  where  her 
breast  was  warmed,  the  moon  where  her  horns 
were  filled  with  light,  and  day  and  night  how 
their  clocks  were  set.  Soon  "may  God  collect 
the  scattered  beams,  and  make  great  lights  in 
the  moral  firmament  of  India  ! 


136  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

Suppose  we  had  no  success.  Hath  not  God 
commanded,  and  shall  not  we  obey?  Has  he 
promised  immediate  and  invariable  success  ? 
Christ  divides  the  seed  sown  into  four  portions, 
only  one  of  which  brings  forth  abundant  fruit. 
What  if  some  of  our  seed  fall  by  the  wayside,  or 
on  the  stones,  or  among  thorns  ?  Did  the  be 
trayal  of  Judas  silence  the  apostles,  or  the  denial 
of  Peter  ruin  their  cause  ?  How  many  converts 
had  Noah,  though  he  preached  righteousness  by 
the  century  ?  And  what  shall  we  say  of  the 
prophets  of  whom  the  world  was  not  worthy  ? 
And  what  of  the  Son  of  man,  who  closed  his 
labors,  crying,  "O  Jerusalem,  how  often  would  I 
have  gathered  thee  as  a  hen  gathereth  her  chick 
ens  under  her  wings,  but  ye  would  not !"  and 
who,  instead  of  blessing  those  only  who  succeed, 
said,  "  Blessed  are  they  which  are  persecuted  for 
righteousness  ?" 

Suppose  we  had  no  reward,  would  we  not 
preach  ?  Can  we  see  man  debased,  self-cor 
rupted,  self-mutilated,  self-imbruted,  self-damned, 
and  not  speak  ?  Though  no  man  hear  and  no 
man  pity  you  must  plead,  though  you  tell  your 
truth  and  sorrow  to  the  stones.  But  this  is  not 
your  case.  India's  sons  are  not  strangers  to 
thought  nor  to  feeling.  Beneath  their  caps  they 
carry  fertile  brains,  and  under  their  ribs  human 


INDIA    CONFERENCE.  137 

hearts.  Hypocritical,  false,  ungrateful  from  the 
oppression  of  ages  they  may  be,  but  in  their 
breasts  is  gentleness,  and  patience,  and  love, 
while  religion  enters  largely  into  their  national 
life.  They  have  characteristics  which  if  sancti 
fied  would  enable  them  to  enjoy  the  plerophory 
of  grace.  Europe  is  too  proud,  America  too 
worldly,  and  both  too  materialistic.  India, 
brought  to  Jesus,  may  lie  like  John  in  the 
Master's  bosom.  Is  not  the  Indian  mind,  too, 
peculiarly  adapted  to  our  form  of  faith?  It 
needs  something  to  arouse  it  from  its  fatalism, 
to  teach  it  the  immutability  of  moral  distinctions, 
the  moral  quality  of  intention,  and  to  inspire  it 
with  a  sense  of  human  responsibility.  It  is 
adapted  also  to  our  type  of  piety,  the  emotional, 
the  hopeful.  It  demands,  too,  our  form  of  prop- 
agandism ;  we  employ  lay  agency ;  we  teach 
men  to  preach  Christ  crucified  so  soon  as  the 
divine  coals  burn  within  them.  We  have  a  sys 
tem  of  itinerancy  just  fitted  to  set  fire  to  these 
plains.  If  India  is  brought  to  God  it  must  be 
chiefly  through  the  agency  of  her  own  sons  ; 
and  the  sooner  we  take  converted  and  called 
helpers  to  our  confidence  and  commission  them 
for  our  service  the  better.  God  forbid  that  we 
should  hold  them  at  arm's  length !  We  have 
trusted  such  men  in  other  hemispheres,  we  may 


138  OUR    ORIENTAL   MISSIONS. 

in  this.  Train  them,  teach  them,  guide  them, 
but  send  them  forth.  They  will  build  churches 
over  their  heads,  and  map  out  self-sustaining 
circuits  over  these  provinces. 

The  theism  which  is  spreading  here,  and 
which  inspires  many  good  men  with  dread,  but 
others  more  wise  with  encouragement,  illustrates 
the  national  character.  Unlike  that  of  Europe, 
it  pours  itself  out  not  in  satire,  and  blasphemy, 
and  spleen,  but  in  prayers  and  paeans.  It  devel 
ops  itself  not  in  moral  anarchy,  but  in  church 
order. 

We  need  not  lower  our  standard  for  the  sake 
of  success.  We  sometimes  envy  Catholics  their 
triumphs.  It  is  their  boast  that  Romanism  took 
South  America,  and  the  aborigines  became  Chris 
tian,  while  Protestantism  took  North  America, 
and  the  natives  remain  Pagan  ;  that  Romanism 
took  Mexico,  and  it  became  religious  ;  Protestant 
ism  took  India,  and  it  remains  heathen  or  infidel. 
Moreover,  that  since  Romanism  entered  India 
she  has  planted  twenty  vicariates  and  counted 
nearly  a  million  converts.  But  what  is  the 
Christianity  which  she  gives  ?  We  know  many 
of  her  sons,  and  would  be  unjust  to  none.  While 
she  elevates  man  above  Paganism  and  Moham 
medanism,  we  must  note  that  her  monachism, 
holv  water,  baptismal  regeneration,  purgatory, 


INDIA    CONFERENCE,  139 

pantheon,  penance,  priestly  absolution,  visible 
sacrifices,  and  gorgeous  ceremonial,  all  tend  to 
bring  down  Christianity  to  Paganism.  My  breth 
ren,  come  not  into  her  secret.  When  you  report 
a  convert  let  it  be  one  in  whom  faith  works  by 
love  to  purify  the  heart.  We  can  wait  till  by 
the  fire  of  such  walking  evangels  others  shall 
light  their  lamps  and  set  India  ablaze. 

Finally,  brethren,  be  of  one  mind ;  live  in 
peace ;  correspond  with  each  other ;  bear  with 
each  other  ;  love  and  help  each  other,  and  grap 
ple  to  you  the  Church  at  home  as  with  hooks, 
not  merely  of  silver,  but  of  love. 

The  controversies  and  divisions  of  the  Church 
have  greatly  hindered  the  spread  of  truth. 
When  every  man  has  his  psalm,  his  interpreta 
tion,  his  doctrine,  the  heathen  is  confused.  One 
cried,  "You  must  have  as  many  Christs  in  Amer 
ica  as  there  are  gods  in  China."  Let  our  peace 
and  unity  be  manifest.  We  are  happily  situated. 
We  occupy  a  field  almost  alone.  We  are  within 
eas)v  reach  of  each  other,  and  we  preach  in  a 
common  language.  Compare  with  ours  the 
Presbyterian  missions,  stretched  along  a  line  of 
a  thousand  miles,  among  a  people  speaking  at 
different  points  five  different  languages,  while 
missions  of  other  Churches  intervene.  The 
choice  of  the  field  and  the  organization  of  the 


I4O  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

missions  reflect  the  highest  credit  on  him  whom 
the  Church  selected  to  lay  her  foundations  in 
this  land,  and  whom  she  will  not  fail  to  honor  ; 
and  the  prosperity  of  the  missions  indicates  both 
the  energy  of  the  administration  and  the  industry, 
and  faithfulness,  and  ability  of  those  who  have 
worked  the  field. 

And  now  Methodism  is  to  organize  her  first 
Mission  Conference  on  the  soil  of  India ;  the 
continent  on  which  Paradise  bloomed,  the  ark 
rested,  the  law  thundered,  and  the  cross  warmed 
with  atoning  blood  ;  the  land  of  prophets  and 
apostles,  of  martyrs  and  mysteries,  of  the  arts  of 
man  and  the  revelations  of  God.  We  bring  back 
to  her  a  Bible  all  whose  pages  were  written  on 
her  soil,  and  are  so  illustrated  in  her  living  cus 
toms  that  they  may  be  read  by  the  roadside  with 
out  a  commentator.  We  bring  to  her  a  religion 
whose  first  and  fullest  enjoyments  were  felt  in 
the  hearts  of  her  noblest  sons. 

The  location  of  our  Conference  is  worthy  of 
remark.  We  meet  beneath  earth's  loftiest  mount 
ains.  If  the  Lord's  house  were  established  in 
the  top  of  the  mountains,  we  should  be  under 
the  droppings  of  its  sanctuary.  I  stood  upon 
the  top  of  Cheena,  and  looked  over  a  field  of 
mountains,  their  bosoms  encompassed  by  the  fir, 
the  pine,  the  cedar,  and  the  sal,  but  their  heads 


INDIA    CONFERENCE.  141 

cold  and  bare  granite,  embraced  by  a  semicircle 
of  the  snowy  range  whose  peaks  rise  from 
twenty-three  thousand  to  twenty-five  thousand 
feet  high,  covered  with  eternal  snow,  on  which 
the  foot  of  man  never  trod,  and  never  will  tread. 
I  walked  a  few  paces  and  looked  down  upon  the 
plain  of  the  Ganges,  stretching  out  like  an  im 
mense  ocean  fringed  with  sea-weed,  but  with  no 
sign  of  life.  And  yet  I  knew  that  in  the  mount 
ains  on  the  one  side  there  beat  six  hundred 
thousand  human  hearts,  and  in  the  plains  on 
the  other  fifty  millions ;  and  I  said,  "  These  all 
belong  to  Christ."  The  voice  of  the  prophet 
came  over  me :  "  The  idols  shall  he  utterly 
abolish;"  and  the  voice  of  the  Father,  "Ask  of 
me  and  I  shall  give  thee  the  heathen  for  thine 
inheritance,  and  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth 
for  thy  possession ;"  and  that  other  voice,  "  A 
nation  shall  be  born  in  a  day" — a  prophecy  to 
be  realized  in  the  crystallized  civilizations  of  the 
East.  We  have  had  the  planting,  and  it  has 
been  long  ;  the  harvest  may  come  soon.  There 
is  a  plant  which  it  requires  a  century  to  mature, 
but  it  blossoms  in  a  day.  God  has  great  and 
precious  promises  that  have  not  yet  been  ful 
filled.  "  He  will  arise  to  shake  terribly  the 
earth."  Already  I  hear  the  precursors  of  the 
coming  storm,  and  see  the  idols  swept  before 


142  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

the   flood,  and    the    whole   land   rising   as   by  a 
divine  force  into  light  and  love. 

Now  unto  Him  that  is  able  to  keep  us  from 
falling,  and  to  present  us  faultless  before  his 
presence  with  exceeding  joy,  be  all  honor,  might, 
majesty,  and  dominion,  now,  henceforth,  and  for 
ever  !  Amen. 


VII. 
GENERAL  REMARKS  ON  INDIA. 

THAT  immense  triangle  stretching  from  the 
Himalayas  to  Cape  Comorin,  a  distance 
of  nineteen  hundred  miles,  and  from  the  Hindoo 
Coosh  on  the  west  to  the  borders  of  Burmah  on 
the  east,  a  distance  of  fifteen  hundred,  is,  in 
many  respects,  the  grandest  peninsula  on  earth. 
It  has  an  area  of  1,446,576  square  miles,  and  is 
much  larger  than  France,  Great  Britain,  Austria, 
Germany,  Portugal,  Spain,  Denmark,  Greece, 
Switzerland,  Holland,  Belgium,  Italy,  Turkey, 
Prussia,  and  the  Ionian  Republic,  united. 

It  is  divided  by  the  Vindhya  Mountains  into 
Hindostan  and  the  Deccan,  each  of  which  has 
a  table-land  and  plains.  The  table-land  of  the 
former  is  supported  on  the  south  by  the  Vindhya 
range,  and  on  the  north  by  a  lower  one  in  the 
Bundlecund,  sloping  gradually  into  the  basin  of 
the  Ganges.  The  table-land  of  the  Deccan,  fif 
teen  hundred  feet  above  the  sea  level,  is  sup- 


144  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

ported  on  the  north  by  the  Vindhya,  and  on  the 
other  three  sides  by  the  Ghats,  which  run  round 
the  peninsula  near  the  coast,  leaving  low  plains 
between  their  bases  and  the  sea.  The  Nerbtid- 
clah  River  forms  the  dividing  line  between  the 
two  table-lands  ;  the  Warda  marks  the  southern 
boundary  of  a  woody  tract  which  is  peopled  by 
aboriginal  tribes  ;  the  Godavery  flows  through  a 
valley  that  might  supply  the  world  with  sugar ; 
the  Indus  makes  an  Egypt  in  the  north-west. 
Eastward  of  this  stream,  and  westward  of  the 
Aravalli  chain,  lies  a  desert,  with  here  and  there 
an  oasis. 

Between  the  ranges  of  the  Himalaya  and  the 
Vindhya  mountains  is  the  plain  of   the  Ganges, 
with  the  Punjab  at  its  head  and  Bengal  at  its  foot, 
the  latter  of  which  seems  to  be  the  united  gift  of 
the  Ganges  and  the   Burrampootra.     This  great 
peninsula  is  walled  in  on  the  north  by  the  snowy 
range  of   the    Himalaya,  and  protected  both  on 
the   east  and  west  by  mountain   chains  ;  and  al 
though  it  has  gates  alike  on  the  east,  the  north 
west,  and  the  west,  through  which  the  Affghan 
the   Tartar,   and   the   Persian   invasions   have  a 
different   periods   poured  upon  the  plains  below, 
yet  with  the  instruments  and  science  of  modern 
warfare  these  passes  may  readily  be  guarded. 
Off  its   southern    extremity   lies   the  fragrant 


GENERAL  REMARKS  ON  INDIA.  145 

island  of  Ceylon,  sustaining  the  same  relation  to 
India  that  Sicily  does  to  Italy. 

This  fair  land,  extending  from  the  eighth  par 
allel  of  north  latitude  to  the  thirty-sixth,  furnishes 
almost  every  vegetable,  animal,  and  mineral  prod 
uct.  Cereals  abound  in  the  plains,  gems  in  the 
mountains,  spices  in  the  breeze;  tea  in  Assam, 
coffee  in  the  Nilgherry  Hills,  indigo  in  Bengal, 
and  opium  and  jute  in  the  basin  of  the  Ganges. 
As  to  cotton  and  sugar,  they  are  both  indigenous 
to  India,  which,  under  improved  methods  of  cul 
tivation  and  of  intercommunication,  and  a  wise 
government,  could  stock  the  markets  of  the  world 
with  both  commodities. 

Although  the  manufactures  of  India,  through 
want  of  proper  encouragement,  have  declined, 
yet  its  muslins  and  works  in  the  precious  metals 
are  still  unrivaled,  as  well  for  their  texture  as 
their  beauty. 

The  population  of  India  is  thus  estimated : 

British  territory  in  India,    ....     131,990,901 
Native        "  "  ...  48,376,247 

French  and  Portuguese,      ....  517,149 


Total, 180,884,297 

Dwell  for  a  moment  upon  these  figures.  Sup 
pose  Providence  take  India  from  Great  Britain, 
and,  as  a  compensation,  give  her  all  the  rest  of 

A  10 


146  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

Asia,  the  Chinese  empire  alone  excepted.  Would 
she  gain  or  lose  as  to  the  number  of  her  sub 
jects?  Let  us  see.  Arabia,  with  its  celebrated 
deserts  and  mountains,  and  famed  cities  and  un- 
conquered  tribes,  contains  eight  millions.  Asi 
atic  Turkey,  land  of  the  Bible,  the  primitive  seat 
of  civilization,  the  scene  of  great  victories  and 
seat  of  great  monarchies,  ten  millions  ;  Georgia, 
two ;  Persia,  nine ;  Afghanistan,  six ;  Beeloo- 
chistan,  one  ;  Independent  Tartary,  seven ;  Sibe 
ria,  stretching  from  sea  to  sea,  three ;  Farther 
India,  including  Burmah,  the  kingdom  of  Siam, 
the  empire  of  Anam,  Cochin  China,  and  Malacca, 
twenty  millions  ;  the  Japan  empire,  thirty.  Add 
these  together  and  you  have  not  much  more  than 
half  the  population  of  India.  Set  down  now,  in 
addition,  Thibet,  and  Chinese  Tartary,  and  Corea, 
and  all  other  parts  of  the  Chinese  empire  except 
China  proper,  say  thirty-four  millions,  and  you 
have  one  hundred  and  thirty  millions.  Next 
throw  in  Borneo,  Sumatra,  Java,  the  Philippine 
Isles,  Celebes,  Spice  Islands,  Floris,  Timor — all 
Malaisia ;  next  Australia,  New  Guinea,  New 
Zealand,  Van  Dieman's  Land,  Louisiade,  New 
Britain — all  Australasia;  then  the  Sandwich  Isl 
ands,  Society  Islands,  the  Ladrone  Islands — all 
Polynesia ;  in  fine,  Oceanica,  one  whole  quarter 
of  the  globe,  and  you  only  raise  the  number  to 


GENERAL  REMARKS  ON  INDIA.  147 

one  hundred  and  fifty-six  millions ;  still  thirty-four 
millions  short  of  the  population  of  India. 

Take  another  view.  The  Barbary  States,  Be- 
lud  ul  Gered,  Egypt,  Nubia,  Abyssinia,  Sahara, 
Soudan,  Eastern  Africa,  Western  Africa,  Ethio 
pia,  and  the  African  Islands,  all  contain,  accord 
ing  to  our  books  generally,  but  sixty-two  millions. 
To  the  population  of  Africa  add  that  of  Green 
land,  Iceland,  British  America,  Russian  America, 
Mexico,  the  United  States,  Central  America,  the 
West  Indies,  Bermudas,  Brazil,  Argentine  Repub 
lic,  New  Grenada,  Peru,  Bolivia,  Venezuela,  Pat 
agonia,  Equador,  Chili,  Guiana,  Uraguay,  Para 
guay,  and  the  Falkland  Islands,  in  fine,  the  whole 
continent  of  America,  seventy  millions  in  all,  and 
you  have  only  one  hundred  and  thirty  millions, 
more  than  fifty  millions  short  of  the  population 
of  India.  Add  to  the  people  of  both  these  con 
tinents  those  of  Oceanica,  and  you  raise  the  num 
ber  to  only  one  hundred  and  fifty-four  millions, 
thirty  millions  less  than  India. 

These  people  are  of  different  origins,  customs, 
and  faiths,  and  speak  various  languages,  not  less 
than  twenty-nine,  twenty-four  of  them  derived 
from  the  Sanscrit,  and  five  from  other  sources. 
They  have  much  knowledge  and  a  wonderful  his 
tory.  India's  astronomy  dates  fifteen  centuries 
before  Christ,  and  long  ere  the  mind  of  the  Med- 


148  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

iterranean  awoke.  Her  trigonometry  was  a  thou 
sand  years  in  advance  of  that  of  Europe.  Her 
logic  and  philosophy  preceded  and  inspired  those 
of  Greece.  The  fascinating  Pantheism  which  Ger 
many  elaborates,  and  England  servilely  echoes, 
and  Emerson  discourses  as  if  it  were  a  new  dis 
covery,  has  been  proclaimed  for  two  or  three 
thousand  years  among  a  people  to  enlighten 
whose  darkened  minds  Berlin,  and  London,  and 
Boston  send  missionaries,  and  many  a  dirty 
devotee  expounds  it  more  adroitly,  ay,  and  elo 
quently,  too,  than  either. 

The  intellect  of  India  is  still  the  speculative 
mind  of  the  East,  sustaining  the  same  relation  to 
Asia  that  Greece  does  to  ancient  Europe,  and 
Germany  to  modern.  The  Hindoos,  a  people  of 
Caucasian  origin,  and  of  Indo-Germanic  family, 
entering  India  through  the  Hindoo  Coosh,  three 
thousand  years  ago,  and  gradually  spreading  over 
the  country,  enslaving  or  driving  to  the  southern 
mountains  the  aboriginal  inhabitants,  introduced 
Brahminism.  This  is  a  magnificent  polytheism, 
systematic  in  form,  with  power  to  modify  science, 
mold  art,  inspire  literature,  shape  social  life,  sus 
tain  civil  government,  identify  itself  with  nation 
ality,  and  appeal  to  the  strongest  feelings  of  the 
native  character,  reverence  for  the  past.  Its 
hymns  of  devotion  and  formulas  of  worship,  the 


GENERAL  REMARKS  ON  INDIA.  149 

Vedas,  four  in  number,  are  older  than  the  Psalms 
of  David,  strongly  imbued  with  patriarchal  theol 
ogy,  deemed  eternal,  and  supposed  to  have  been 
written  in  the  language  of  the  gods.  The  Shas- 
ters,  six  in  number,  contain  some  scientific  treat 
ises,  and  a  cosmogony  in  many  respects  reminding 
us  of  the  book  of  Genesis,  though  it  divides  eter 
nity,  and  gives  us  eras  of  millions  of  years.  It 
has  a  theology  resting  upon  the  triad  Brahma, 
Vishnu,  and  Shiva. 

The  language  in  which  the  sacred  books  are 
written — Sanscrit — is  of  unfathomable  antiquity, 
and,  according  to  Sir  William  Jones,  more  perfect 
than  the  Greek,  more  copious  than  the  Latin,  and 
more  excellently  refined  than  either;  and,  in  the 
judgment  of  the  learned,  capable  of  expressing 
every  movement  of  the  human  will,  every  form 
of  human  thought,  and  every  wave  of  human 
passion,  with  unsurpassed  clearness,  elegance, 
and  force. 

The  deities  of  Hindooism  are  generally  wor 
shiped  in  shapes  in  which  they  are  supposed  to 
have  become  incarnate.  The  popular  theology 
is  founded  upon  the  code  of  Menu  and  the  Pu- 
ranas.  The  latter,  eighteen  in  number,  is  a  col 
lection  of  legends  concerning  the  gods,  who 
marry,  quarrel,  sin,  and  suffer,  and  are  thirty 
millions  strong. 


150  OUR   ORIENTAL   MISSIONS. 

There  is  a  striking  resemblance  between  the 
earlier  mythology  of  India  and  that  of  ancient 
Egypt,  Greece,  and  Rome.  Thus  Brahma  cor 
responds  to  the  Ammon  of  the  Egyptians,  the 
Zeus  of  the  Greeks,  the  Jupiter  of  the  Romans ; 
Saraswati  to  the  Neith  of  Egypt,  the  Athena 
of  Greece,  the  Minerva  of  Rome ;  Cama  to 
Cupid;  Chrishna  with  the  Gopias  dancing  around 
him,  to  Apollo  and  the  Muses ;  Rama  to  the 
Osiris  of  Egypt  and  the  Bacchus  of  Greece. 
Shiva  in  India  becomes  Typho  in  Egypt,  and 
Pluto  in  Greece ;  while  the  Isa  of  the  first  land 
is  the  Isis  of  the  second,  and  the  Diana  of  the 
third.  Transmigration  is  modified  in  the  west 
into  Tartarus  and  the  shades  of  Elysium,  and 
absorption  into  the  Deity  into  ascent  to  the 
gods.  Both  the  East  and  the  West  believed 
that  man  had  a  prior  existence,  and  they  taught 
the  doctrine  of  purification  by  punishment ;  but 
the  Greeks,  too  busy  with  this  world,  postponed 
purgatory  to  the  next ;  while  the  Hindoos  pre 
ferred  torture  on  this  side  the  grave  to  Pluto 
and  his  fires  on  the  other.  The  gods  and  myths 
of  India  were  probably  the  originals  of  which 
those  of  the  classic  West  were  the  copies.  The 
latter  are  now  known  only  to  song,  the  former 
still  live  in  the  faith  of  the  people.  The  types 
of  Osiris  and  Bacchus,  of  Isis  and  Diana,  are 


GENERAL   REMARKS  ON    INDIA.  151 

still  worshiped  under  the  shade  of  mango  groves, 
and  the  descendant  of  the  original  bull  Apis 
may  be  seen  in  every  Hindoo  city,  and  under 
the  shadow  of  every  temple  of  Shiva.  Whether 
Indian  mythology  is  older  or  not,  it  is  supe 
rior  to  the  European.  While  the  Grecian  gods 
become  incarnate  for  purposes  of  lust,  preju 
dice,  or  passion,  those  of  India  come  in  flesh 
for  purposes  of  benevolence.  Is  Vishnu  a  fish  ? 
It  is  to  rescue  truth  from  a  demon,  or  humanity 
from  the  deluge.  Is  he  a  tortoise  ?  It  is  to 
sustain  the  earth  when  sinking  in  the  ocean.  Is 
he  a  boar?  It  is  to  draw  forth  upon  his  tusks 
the  land  that  had  been  submerged.  Is  he  a  lion 
bursting  from  the  marble  column?  It  is  to  save 
a  pious  son  from  the  hands  of  a  blaspheming 
monarch.  Is  he  a  dwarf?  It  is  to  serve  the 
gods.  Is  he  a  warrior  ?  It  is  to  destroy  op 
pressors.  Does  he  become  Ram  ?  It  is  to  over 
come  Ravanna  and  liberate  Ceylon.  Does  he 
appear  as  Krishnu  ?  It  is  to  slay  monsters  and 
demons,  and  abound  in  benefactions.  Is  he  a 
Buddha  ?  It  is  to  counteract  perverted  power. 
In  his  future  incarnation — Kalki — he  is  to  come 
on  a  white  horse  to  restore  pure  religion,  punish 
the  impenitent,  and  bring  back  the  golden  age. 
The  substance  of  these  mythologies  is  the 
same,  whether  modified  by  the  gloomy  mind  of 


152  OUR   ORIENTAL   MISSIONS. 

India,  the  heavy  one  of  Egypt,  the  cheerful  one 
of  Greece,  or  the  stately  and  steady  one  of 
Rome  ;  and  this  substance  is  evidently  of  higher 
antiquity  than  any — a  primitive  revelation.  The 
existence  of  God,  the  garden  of  Eden,  the  fall 
of  man,  a  future  state,  an  incarnation,  a  possi 
bility  of  reunion  with  God,  the  certainty  of  pun 
ishment,  and  the  doctrine  of  substitution,  may 
be  traced  through  them  all,  but  perverted  and 
obscured.  The  Supreme  Being  is  often  exhib 
ited  without  attributes,  the  void.  Depravity  is 
from  the  evil  nature  of  matter  ;  the  future  state 
is  substituted  by  transmigration ;  and  pardon 
and  purification  are  sought  by  ceremonies,  con 
templation,  self-torture,  and  presents  to  priests. 
The  ancient  mythologies  are  the  solid  gold  of 
truth  beaten  into  flimsy  tinsel,  and  molded  by  a 
depraved  imagination  into  forms  which  dazzle 
and  bewilder,  but  are  no  longer  capable  of  being 
the  current  coin  of  the  moral  universe,  or  bear 
ing  the  image  of  its  Maker. 

This  history  of  Indian  idolatry,  and  indeed  of 
all,  shows  that  when  men  forsake  revelation  their 
minds  grow  darker  and  darker.  There  is  an 
awful  descent  from  the  Vedas  to  the  Institutes 
of  Menu,  and  a  still  greater  from  these  to  the 
Puranas. 

The  greater  permanence  of  Indian  religion  is 


GENERAL  REMARKS  ON  INDIA.  153 

due,  in  great  measure,  to  the  fact  that  while  the 
spiritual  ideas  of  Greece  and  Rome  assumed  the 
fascinating-  but  perishable  forms  of  statuary  and 
painting,  those  of  India  took  the  enduring  form 
of  books.  The  original  volumes,  however,  being 
in  a  language  unknown  to  the  common  people, 
are,  so  far  as  they  are  concerned,  dead. 

The  living  and  degenerated  faith  has  defiled 
the  whole  literature  of  the  land.  I  once  asked 
why  native  ladies  were  not  educated.  The  an 
swer  was,  "  There  is  no  literature  in  the  lan 
guage  fit  for  a  lady  to  read."  The  common 
thoughts  and  conversation  of  the  people  are 
defiled. 

Nor  is  this  surprising  when  we  consider  their 
god  and  myths,  or  even  their  temples.  It  is 
creditable  to  the  modesty  of  Indian  women  that 
they  visit  the  temples  at  night.  How  they  pass 
the  streets  without  blushing  it  is  difficult  to  tell, 
for  the  public  places  are  made  odious  by  the  ob 
jects  of  adoration  set  up  within  them.  Behold  the 
steps  of  descent.  Beginning  with  the  true  God, 
they  advanced  to  the  triad,  then  multiplied  their 
avatars,  finally  worshiped  things  inanimate,  till 
now  the  waters,  the  sun,  the  monkey,  are  wor 
shiped,  and  the  gods  of  the  country  are  more 
numerous  than  the  men,  while  the  objects  most 
adored  are  those  that  are  most  disgusting.  Their 


154  °UR   ORIENTAL   MISSIONS. 

general  conduct  is  what  we  might  expect,  ac 
cording  to  the  spirit  that  now  worketh  in  the 
children  of  disobedience.  They  have  indeed  a 
standard  of  morality,  falling  below  which  one  is 
condemned,  for  "  when  the  Gentiles  do  by  nature 
the  things  contained  in  the  law,  these,  having 
not  the  law,  are  a  law  unto  themselves."  In 
deed,  without  this  no  business  could  be  carried 
on,  and  no  community  exist.  Hence,  when  the 
dhooley  bearer  receives  his  charge  he  takes  the 
same  care  of  it  that  a  Christian  would.  But  be 
yond  the  outward  act  it  is  to  be  feared  the  mo 
rality  of  Hindoos  rarely  goes.  Little  do  they 
feel  of  love  to  God  or  to  man,  or  the  spirit  of 
peace  and  good-will  which  the  angels  expressed 
at  the  birth  of  Jesus. 

The  institutions  of  Hindooism  illustrate  its 
character.  Prominent  among  these  is  caste. 
The  code  of  Menu  divides  society  into  four 
castes — the  priest,  the  soldier,  the  husbandman, 
and  the  servant.  The  first  was  said  to  proceed 
from  the  mouth  of  Brahma,  the  second  from  his 
arms,  the  third  from  his  thighs,  and  the  fourth 
from  his  feet.  These  have  almost  disappeared 
except  the  first.  The  Brahmins,  from  ten  to 
twelve  millions,  still,  by  monopoly  of  knowledge, 
maintain  their  position  at  the  head  of  the  social 
edifice,  beneath  which  there  are  now  numerous 


GENERAL    REMARKS  ON  INDIA.  155 

castes,  varying  from  sixty  to  a  hundred  and  sev 
enty,  according  to  locality. 

How  a  system  so  utterly  at  war  with  funda 
mental,  political,  and  Gospel  principles  could 
prevail  for  two  thousand  five  hundred  years  is 
amazing,  unless  you  consider  that  it  is  rooted  in 
the  popular  religion,  is  deemed  the  divine  order, 
and  confers  immunities  on  the  lower  castes  in 
proportion  to  their  descent  in  the  social  scale. 
The  Brahmin  is  in  perpetual  danger  of  losing 
caste,  for  if  he  but  touch  a  mehter's  button  he  is 
defiled.  The  tenacity  with  which  caste  is  held 
is  wonderful.  A  Fakir,  on  being  imprisoned, 
determined  to  starve  himself  to  death,  and  die 
with  a  curse  upon  the  magistrate  upon  his  lips. 
When  he  was  nearly  gone,  the  jailer  read  to  him 
an  order  that  he  should,  when  a  corpse,  be 
wrapped  in  an  ox-hide,  carried  out  by  men  of 
low  caste,  and  buried  in  the  earth ;  he  immedi 
ately  said,  "  Give  me  food,  or  I  lose  my  caste." 
At  Jyepore,  in  Rajpootana,  a  bazaar  that  could 
not  be  cleared  with  police  or  artillery  was  at 
once  cleared  by  some  sweepers  with  brooms. 
Sir  John  Lawrence,  who  attributes  the  Sepoy 
rebellion  to  the  greased  cartridges,  related  to  me 
this  story  :  On  a  field  of  battle  an  officer  and  a 
Sepoy  lay  side  by  side,  wounded  and  suffering, 
in  the  hot  sun.  All  day  the  Indian  said  nothing 


156  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

but  "  Water !  water !"  Toward  night  a  woman 
came  with  a  skin  of  water.  The  Englishman 
drank  and  was  refreshed.  The  Sepoy  asked  the 
w£fnan  of  what  caste  she  was,  and  being  in 
formed  that  she  was  of  low  caste,  he  turned  away 
his  parched  lips.  The  officer  remonstrated, 
"You  and  I  only  are  present;  I  pledge  my 
honor  as  a  soldier  never  to  mention  it.  Drink, 
and  you  may  live  ;  refuse,  and  you  die."  "  No," 
said  he,  ''better  die  than  lose  my  caste."  If  the 
Sepoy  were  a  Brahmin,  we  may  cease  to  wonder 
when  we  reflect  that,  according  to  the  code  of 
Menu,  whatever  exists  in  the  universe  is  all  in 
effect,  though  not  in  form,  the  wealth  of  the 
Brahmin,  since  he  is  entitled  to  it  by  his  primo 
geniture  and  eminence  in  rank.  To  him  knowl 
edge  is  shut  up,  for  the  sacred  books  are  too 
holy  to  be  studied  by  any  but  a  Brahmin,  or 
even  to  be  read  by  a  Soodra.  He  who  men 
tions  a  Brahmin  with  contumely  should  have  an 
iron  style,  ten  fingers  long,  thrust  red-hot  into 
his  mouth. 

Some,  perhaps,  may  tell  us  that  something  ex 
actly  like  this  exists  in  this  country,  and  that  if 
we  substitute  a  certain  word  for  Brahmin,  and  a 
certain  other  for  Soodra,  we  shall  find  here  an 
unwritten  code  of  the  same  spirit  as  that  of 
Menu.  I  am  aware  that  customs  and  feelings 


GENERAL   REMARKS  ON  INDIA.  157 

akin  to  caste  may  be  found  in  the  Christian 
world — as  when  a  man  is  compelled  to  follow  the 
trade  of  his  father,  or  a  people  are  doomed  to 
inferiority  in  consequence  of  their  color.  But 
mark  the  difference :  these  things  are  in  defiance 
of  Christianity. 

Kindred  to  caste  is  slavery,  which  has  existed 
from  time  immemorial  in  India,  and  which,  de 
spite  British  law,  exists  there  to  this  day,  and  to 
such  an  extent  that  there  is  scarcely  a  Rajah  or 
wealthy  native  family  that  has  not  its  slaves. 
Mark,  this  in  accordance  with  the  native  religion ; 
but  where  it  exists  in  Christian  lands  it  is  con 
trary  to  conscience  and  faith,  and  destined,  with 
the  cultivation  of  the  one  and  the  progress  of 
the  other,  to  utter  extermination.  Suttee,  the 
burning  of  the  woman  upon  the  funeral  pile,  was 
often  done  against  her  own  remonstrance,  and  by 
means  of  her  own  children  binding  her  to  the 
flames.  Infanticide  is  still  practiced  secretly  by 
the  Rajpoots  and  Kshatryas,  in  order  to  avoid  the 
expense  of  marrying  their  daughters,  and  it  is 
authorized  by  the  sacrifices  to  the  river  god 
Gunga. 

More  terrible  still  is  the  practice  of  Thuggee — 
a  system  of  hereditary  murder,  carried  on  by  a 
fraternity  spread  all  over  India,  having  secret 
signs  and  a  peculiar  dialect,  who  are  taught  from 


158  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

boyhood  to  look  upon  murder  by  the  noose  as 
their  calling.  We  have  bands  of  robbers,  coun 
terfeiters,  murderers,  in  Christian  lands ;  but  note 
the  difference.  The  Thug  is  religiously  inducted 
by  his  spiritual  guide ;  he  uses  an  instrument 
consecrated  by  religious  solemnities.  He  wor 
ships  Kali,  a  murderous  goddess,  who  has  given 
him  the  privilege  of  killing  his  fellow-beings  for 
a  livelihood,  to  whom  after  every  murder  he 
makes  an  offering  of  silver  and  of  sugar,  whose 
wrath  he  would  incur  if  he  failed,  when  the 
omens  were  favorable,  to  suffocate  the  victim, 
and  whose  name  is  so  venerable  with  the  people 
that  the  native  rulers  are  afraid  to  deal  with  her 
murderers.  Similar  to  this  is  the  system  of 
Dekoitee,  practiced  religiously  by  a  set  of  robber 
castes. 

These  are  legitimate  moral  results  of  Brahmin- 
ism.  I  need  not  speak  of  polygamy,  nor  of  the 
degradation  of  woman,  nor  of  the  monasticism 
and  devoteeism  so  prevalent.  The  priests  are 
often  celibates  and  mendicants.  The  fakirs  are 
numerous ;  some  holding  their  hands  clinched 
until  the  nails  pass  through  the  skin,  others  sus 
pending  themselves  by  hooks,  others  rolling 
themselves  across  the  country,  measuring  hun 
dreds  of  miles  with  their  bodies. 

The   priests  profess  to  worship  not  the  idc\ 


GENERAL   REMARKS  ON  INDIA.  159 

but  God  in  the  idol,  as  they  pay  homage  to  the 
queen  in  the  person  of  the  viceroy.  They,  how 
ever,  seem  to  have  no  knowledge  of  the  Infinite 
Being,  who,  they  say,  is  incomprehensible  to 
finite  minds,  and  to  whom,  in  all  India,  there  is 
neither  priest  nor  temple.  The  philosophers  are 
generally  pantheists,  and  teach  either  that  both 
matter  and  spirit  are  manifestations  of  Brahma, 
or  that  Brahma  is  the  only  existence,  and  crea 
tion  an  illusion,  or  that  matter  is  eternal,  and 
Brahma,  uniting  himself  with  it,  gives  it  life. 
Each  system  confounds  God  and  the  creature, 
and  destroys  all  moral  distinctions.  The  Ve- 
dants,  when  asked  who  is  God,  will  generally 
point  to  themselves.  They  allege  that  if  men  lie 
or  murder,  it  is  not  they,  but  God  in  them,  that 
is  chargeable.  The  common  people  do  not  rea 
son  much,  but  bow  credulously  before  the  idol. 
India  gave  birth  to  another  idolatrous  system, 
Buddhism,  which  originated  with  Sakya  Muni 
six  hundred  years  before  Christ.  It  is  full  of 
absurdities  and  false  philosophy.  It  teaches  the 
doctrine  of  transmigration,  embraces  no  idea  of 
forgiveness,  asserts  that  punishment  follows  trans 
gression  as  the  cart-wheel  follows  the  ox,  enjoins 
the  building  of  monasteries  and  temples,  and  the 
making  and  worshiping  of  gods,  which  deeds  will 
elevate  us  to  pleasant  spheres  where  we  may  eat 


160  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

fruits  and  gather  flowers  reared  by  the  hands  of 
angels.  It  is,  however,  atheistic,  and  teaches 
that  all  things  end  in  annihilation.  Rejecting 
caste,  it  provoked  the  opposition  of  Brahminism, 
and  after  a  long  and  fearful  conflict  it  was  driven 
out  of  India.  It  took  refuge,  however,  in  the 
island  of  Ceylon,  the  slopes  of  the  Himalayas, 
and  the  table-land  beyond,  gradually  spread  along 
the  eastern  shores  of  the  Bay  of  Bengal,  and 
finally  took  root  in  China  and  Japan.  It  is  now 
the  faith  of  three  hundred  millions  of  the  human 
race.  It  is  seen  in  India  now  in  a  modified  form 
called  Jainism,  which  embraces  caste.  The  num 
ber  of  Buddhists  under  the  British  government 
must  be  many  millions,  as  the  people  of  British 
Burmah,  Ceylon,  and  Tennasserim  are  chiefly  of 
that  faith. 

There  is  another  great  heresy,  Mohammedism, 
that  has  also  a  strong  hold  in  India.  The  false 
prophet  had  scarcely  been  in  his  grave  fifty  years 
before  the  Arabian  cavalry  was  reined  up  on  the 
banks  of  the  Chenaub.  Mahmoud  of  Ghuznee 
conquered  Guzerat  and  the  Punjab  ;  Arabs  and 
Abyssinians  formed  settlements  upon  the  coast ; 
Tamerlane  sacked  Delhi,  and  his  descendants 
founded  the  Mohammedan  dynasty  of  the  great 
Mogul.  Persian  and  Affghan  invasions  of  Mus 
sulmans  from  the  West,  and  of  Tartars  from  the 


GENERAL  REMARKS  ON  INDIA.  l6l 

North,  have  also  been  seen,  and  rarely  rolled 
back,  from  the  Indian  plains. 

Of  Mohammedism  we  need  say  but  little. 
The  Koran  borrows  facts  and  principles  from  the 
Bible,  but  incorporates  with  them  fables  and 
errors.  It  admits  the  truth  that  there  is  one 
God,  but  perverts  it  by  representing  him  as 
equally  the  author  of  sin  and  holiness ;  it  teaches 
a  gloomy  fatalism,  and  puts  the  Hadees  or  tra 
ditions  before  the  Koran.  Its  moral  code  is 
cruel  and  bloody,  and  allows  both  slavery  and 
polygamy  ;  its  worship  consists  of  external  cere 
monies  ;  it  is  without  any  plan  of  propitiation  or 
pardon,  and  it  holds  out  to  the  believer  a  para 
dise  of  carnal  delights.  The  results  of  the  sys 
tem  are  terrible.  I  expected  to  find  the  Moham 
medans  more  upright  than  the  Pagans,  inasmuch 
as  their  creed  is  better  ;  but  I  was  assured  by 
credible  testimony  that  they  are  more  profligate, 
licentious,  and  cruel  than  their  heathen  neigh 
bors,  and  they  have  introduced  forms  of  sin  into 
India  too  shameless  to  be  named. 

The  Mussulman  population  of  India  is  proba 
bly  twenty-seven  millions  ;  among  these,  all  the 
sects  of  that  faith,  Shiites,  Sunnites,  and  Waha- 
bees.  In  the  shadow  of  these  colossal  forms 
of  error  you  find  various  offshoots,  such  as  the 
Sikh  faith,  and  among  the  aboriginal  inhabitants, 

A  II 


1 62  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

idolaters  who  have  not  yet  abandoned  human 
sacrifices. 

When  mankind  were  dispersed  the  most  pop 
ulous  and  enterprising  tribes  moved  eastward  ; 
thither  was  the  path  of  empire.  On  the  Eu 
phrates,  or  beyond,  arose  the  Assyrian,  Baby 
lonian,  and  other  great  kingdoms,  and  even  before 
they  arose  the  children  of  Noah  had  probably 
founded  on  the  banks  of  the  Hoang  Ho  the 
great  empire  of  China.  Arts  and  arms  seemed 
to  be  the  inheritance  of  Shem  and  Ham,  and  to 
find  their  first  theaters  in  Asia  or  Africa.  After 
a  time  the  tents  of  Japheth  began  to  grow  pow 
erful,  and  the  scepter  of  the  world  to  be  trans 
ferred  to  the  basin  of  the  Mediterranean. 

When  our  Lord  ascended  and  gave  gifts  to 
men,  he  taught  his  disciples  that  his  empire  was 
universal,  and,  sending  them  forth  into  all  the 
world,  he  exhibited  to  them  in  millennial  vision 
the  North,  the  South,  the  East,  and  the  West 
sitting  down  together  in  the  kingdom  of  God. 
They  obeyed  his  command.  While  some  went 
north,  others  south,  and  others  west,  a  few  pene 
trated  the  denser  and  darker  populations  of  the 
East.  But  upon  the  sun-worshipers  of  Persia, 
and  the  philosophic  Pagans  of  India  and  China, 
they  seem  to  have  made  little  or  no  impression. 
Turn  to  the  map  of  the  countries  traveled  by  the 


GENERAL   REMARKS  ON  INDIA.  163 

apostles,  as  the  historian  has  traced  it,  and  you 
will  observe  that  it  does  not  extend  eastward  of 
the  Orontes.  Westward  from  Calvary  has  been 
the  march  of  Christianity,  through  Asia  Minor, 
around  the  ^Egean,  over  the  classic  soil  of  Greece 
and  Macedonia,  and  the  peninsula  of  Italy,  and 
still  westward  through  Spain,  Gaul,  Scandinavia, 
Great  Britain,  and  still  westward  over  North  and 
South  America. 

Account  for  it  as  we  may,  the  East  has  stub 
bornly  rejected  the  Word  of  Life.  Neither  the 
idolatrous  systems  of  classic  Rome  and  Greece, 
which  had  no  Bible,  nor  the  rude  superstitions 
of  Gaul  and  Goth,  and  Celt  and  Briton,  whose 
divinities  were  local,  nor  the  fetichism  of  Africa, 
nor  the  spirit-worship  of  aboriginal  America,  has 
presented  such  formidable  obstacles  to  the  relig 
ion  of  Christ  as  are  found  in  the  lands  of  the  East. 

There  stand  Brahminism,  Buddhism,  Moham- 
meclism — systems  in  which  philosophy  and  su 
perstition,  priestcraft  and  kingcraft,  have  com 
bined  their  powers  to  rule  the  human  mind,  and 
which  stand  like  moral  Himalayas  against  the 
march  of  truth. 

Although  in  the  days  of  John  the  Revelator 
the  eastern  nations  contained  the  bulk  of  man 
kind,  as  they  have  done  ever  since,  yet  they  are 
not  once  named  in  the  Apocalypse. 


164  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

The  reason  is  apparent.  The  Bible  gives  no 
account  of  nations  but  as  they  are  connected 
with  the  Church  ;  and  God,  foreseeing  that  the 
peoples  of  the  East  would  resist  the  truth  until 
they  were  finally  put  into  the  power  and  under 
the  tutelage  of  Christian  rulers,  saw  also  that 
their  history,  so  far  as  connected  with  the  his 
tory  of  redemption,  would  be  a  part  of  that  of 
the  Western  powers.  God  governs  nations  as 
we  govern  men.  He  uses  moral  means  first, 
then  physical.  He  will  give  to  his  Church  the 
heritage  of  the  heathen,  if  not  by  mercy,  then 
by  power.  When  he  set  up  his  king  upon  his 
holy  hill  of  Zion,  he  declared  the  decree,  and 
threatened  to  break  those  nations  to  pieces  that 
disregarded  it.  When  the  Jews  crucified  Messiah, 
destruction  fell  alike  upon  their  city,  temple,  and 
nation.  So  Roman  emperors  went  down  one 
after  another,  until  a  Christian  ascended  the  im 
perial  throne.  God  bore  long  with  the  lands  of 
the  East,  but  he  has  at  length  taken  them  in 
hand. 

Russian  guns  upon  the  banks  of  the  Amoor, 
English  and  French  at  the  gates  of  Pekin,  have 
broken  down  the  walls  which  so  long  barred 
China  from  the  rest  of  the  world.  The  thunders 
of  artillery  have  also  opened  the  way  through 
the  empire  of  Japan,  not  only  for  commerce,  but 


GENERAL  REMARKS   ON  INDIA.  165 

for  science  and  religion.  By  being  brought 
within  the  range  of  cannon,  Australia  and  the 
islands  of  the  sea  have  been  brought  within  the 
range  of  truth.  But  the  most  remarkable  in 
stance  in  which  God  has  broken  nations  like  a 
potter's  vessel  is  India — that  land  in  which,  as  a 
focal  point,  the  three  colossal  systems  of  relig 
ious  error  converge  and  radiate. 

Nothing  in  history  is  more  wonderful  than 
that  a  clerk  in  a  factory  should  win  one  of  the 
largest  empires  in  the  world ;  that  a  trading 
corporation  should  for  so  many  years  hold  and 
acquire  territory  as  did  the  East  India  Company; 
that,  having  failed  to  accomplish  its  purposes,  it 
was  overthrown  by  one  of  the  bloodiest  revolu 
tions  the  world  has  ever  seen  ;  that  such  a  rev 
olution  should  be  put  down  by  a  little  island 
nine  thousand  miles  distant ;  that  it  should  prove 
to  be  the  grandest  step  in  India's  progress  ;  and 
that  one  hundred  and  eighty  millions  of  Pagans 
should  be  easily  and  safely  governed  by  eighty 
thousand  Christian  sabers.  This  is  the  Lord's 
doings,  and  it  is  marvelous  in  our  eyes ;  none 
the  less  so  because  wicked  men  have  accom 
plished  the  work,  often  from  bad  motives,  and 
by  unjustifiable  means.  God  knows  how  to  use 
bad  men,  and  overrule  bad  motives  and  deplor 
able  events  for  the  welfare  of  the  world.  Among 


1 66  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

angels,  progress  doubtless  is  through  reason,  and 
by  the  path  of  peace  ;  but,  owing  to  the  perver 
sity  of  man,  national  preservation  and  progress 
are  by  violence.  What  prevented  Asiatic  des 
potism  from  overspreading  Europe  ?  What  pre 
vented  ancient  Rome  from  becoming  Punic  ? 
What  saved  mediaeval  Germany  and  Gaul  from 
becoming  Mohammedan  ?  What  prevented  the 
United  States  from  being  the  great  slave  empire, 
and  the  propagandist  of  despotism  in  its  worst 
form  ?  Arms.  The  elements  of  our  civiliza 
tion — Greek  culture,  Roman  law,  Christian  mor 
als,  Protestant  faith,  and  political  freedom — were 
all  both  procured  and  preserved  by  steel.  What 
wonder,  then,  if  God  break  down  with  a  rod  of 
iron  those  despotisms  which  for  three  thousand 
years  have  doomed  the  East  to  superstition, 
sluggishness,  idolatry,  and  corruption,  and  pre 
pare  the  peoples  for  a  baptism  of  water  by  a 
baptism  of  blood? 

Will  the  ascendency  of  the  British  in  India  be 
permanent  ?  Yes.  How  came  they  to  put  down 
the  rebellion  ?  The  people  were  divided.  The 
masses,  long  oppressed,  cared  nothing  for  the 
issue.  Had  they  simply  retired  from  their  vil 
lages  to  the  interior,  carrying  their  effects  with 
them,  the  British  army  must  have  starved  to 
death  by  the  roadside.  But  it  was  well  supplied. 


GENERAL   REMARKS   ON  INDIA.  l6/ 

Besides  this  division  between  the  ruler  and  the 
ruled,  there  were  others.  The  Bengali  hates  the 
Madrasse,  both  despise  the  natives  of  Bombay, 
all  three  look  with  jealousy  upon  the  hardier 
race  of  the  North-West  Provinces,  while  the 
Sikhs  and  Ghoorkas  have  little  respect  for  any 
of  the  rest,  or  they  for  them.  Then  there  are 
religious  divisions.  Mohammedans  and  Brah 
mins  can  never  unite.  Though  they  joined  the 
mutiny  with  the  watchword,  "Two  faiths  in  one 
saddle,"  the  Brahmin  soon  perceived  that  the 
back  seat  was  for  him.  The  Mohammedans 
themselves  are  divided  into  Sunnites,  Shiites, 
and  Wahabees ;  and  the  Hindoos  into  nearly 
two  hundred  castes  and  eighty-four  thousand 
sects,  whose  interests  are  diverse.  The  intelli 
gent  Rajahs  perceive  the  advantages  of  English 
rule,  and  shudder  at  the  anarchy  and  conflicts 
that  would  ensue  from  its  overthrow.  Mean 
while,  while  the  natives  are  disarmed,  the  Brit 
ish  have  a  controlling  army  and  full  possession 
of  all  the  strongholds  of  the  country,  and  are 
strengthened  by  perhaps  twenty-five  thousand 
European  residents  and  a  hundred  thousand 
Eurasians. 

What  will  this  power  effect?  Judge  by  what 
it  has  already  effected.  It  has  reduced  anarchy 
to  order,  given  law,  established  justice,  protected 


1 68  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

the  land  from  invasion,  and  prevented  it  from 
being  ravaged  by  intestine  wars.  It  has  sup 
pressed  Suttee  and  Dekoitee,  forbidden  human 
sacrifices,  repressed  infanticide,  and  made  slavery 
illegal.  It  has  woven  a  network  of  telegraphs 
around  the  empire  from  Galle  to  Peshawar,  and 
from  Peshawur  to  Rangoon.  It  has  established 
a  regular  system  of  postage  for  letters,  papers, 
and  books  at  low  charges  and  uniform  rates.  It 
has  improved  old  roads,  and  made  new  ones ; 
sent  steamers  up  the  principal  streams ;  con 
structed  a  canal  nine  hundred  miles  long,  and 
will  probably  soon  construct  others  in  the  val 
leys  of  the  Mahanuddy,  the  Kistna,  and  the 
Godavery.  It  has  commenced  a  system  of  rail 
ways  embracing  about  five  thousand  miles  of 
trunk  lines,  at  a  cost  of  nearly  three  thousand 
millions  of  dollars,  which,  when  completed,  will 
unite  the  extremes  of  the  peninsula,  open  hith 
erto  inaccessible  tracts,  and  bring  all  parts  close 
to  each  other  and  to  the  civilized  world.  Al 
ready  the  steam-horse  traverses  the  peninsula 
from  Calcutta  to  Bombay,  crosses  the  peninsula 
from  Madras  to  the  western  shore,  and  prances 
from  Bombay  to  Nagpore. 

It  has  steadily  increased  the  trade  of  the 
country,  which,  before  the  days  of  Clive,  could 
be  conveyed  in  a  single  Venetian  frigate,  until 


GENERAL  REMARKS  ON  INDIA.  169 

it  now  reaches  nearly  five  hundred  millions  of 
dollars  annually.  It  has  raised  the  revenues  of 
the  Government  to  two  hundred  and  fifteen 
millions.  It  has  given  India  the  newspaper — 
that  great  educator — so  that  there  are  twenty- 
eight  newspapers  published  weekly  in  Bengal — 
three  of  them  in  English,  by  the  natives — thirty 
native  presses  in  Madras,  and  I  know  not  how 
many  in  Bombay  and  Ceylon,  and  twenty-five 
presses  among  the  missions  alone.  It  has  estab 
lished  schools  in  all  parts  of  the  land,  in  which 
those  sciences  are  taught  that  undermine  the 
prevailing  systems  of  superstition  and  error.  It 
has  made  the  English  language  classical  in  the 
country,  and  by  this  means  it  is  furnishing  the 
native  mind  with  the  rich  and  Christian  stores 
of  which  that  noble  tongue  is  the  medium.  It 
has  protected  missionaries  of  Christ  and  their 
converts. 

Since  the  mutiny  eight  or  ten  new  missionary 
societies  have  entered  India,  bringing  large  ad 
ditions  to  its  evangelizing  forces,  so  that  in 
1862,  according  to  Dr.  Mullins,  there  were  in 
British  India,  including  Burmah  and  Ceylon,  31 
societies,  working  in  386  stations  and  2,307  out- 
stations  ;  541  missionaries;  186  native  mission 
aries;  1,776  catechists  ;  1,542  native  churches; 
49,688  communicants;  213,182  native  Christians ; 


I/O  OUR    ORIENTAL   MISSIONS. 

48,390  vernacular  day-schools ;  23,963  boys  in 
Anglo-vernacular  schools ;  39,647  girls  in  day 
and  boarding  schools,  showing  an  increase  of 
over  forty  thousand  Christians  in  ten  years. 
Meanwhile  the  Bible  has  been  translated  into 
fourteen  different  languages  of  India,  and  circu 
lated  to  the  extent  of  1,634,940  copies,  and  other 
Christian  publications  to  that  of  10,000,000. 

Look,  then,  at  this  great  peninsula,  linked  to 
the  continent  and  the  world  by  its  languages, 
commerce,  and  religions ;  source  of  false  faiths 
which  together  insnare  six  hundred  millions  of 
the  human  race,  and  the  stronghold  of  a  delusion 
that  blinds  a  hundred  and  eighty  millions  more. 
This  great  moral  pest-house,  this  Babel  of  devils, 
God  has  put  into  the  power  of  one  of  the  most 
enlightened  Christian  nations  on  earth.  There 
are  more  Mohammedans  under  Victoria's  scep 
ter  than  under  any  other  on  earth.  The  Sultan 
has  but  twenty-one  millions  ;  she  has  twenty-five 
millions  at  least.  There  are  more  heathen  under 
the  same  Christian  queen  than  under  any  sov 
ereign,  except  the  emperor  of  China.  And  this 
mass  is  all  through  and  through,  and  more  and 
more,  subjected  to  Christian  influences.  The  tel 
egraphs  are  so  many  ganglia  in  a  great  nervous 
system,  diffusing  new  sensations  ;  the  railways 
are  so  many  iron  arteries,  pumping  Christian 


GENERAL  REMARKS  ON  INDIA.  if  I 

blood  through  the  native  veins ;  the  newspapers 
are  so  many  digestive  powers,  preparing  health 
ful  moral  food  ;  the  schools  are  so  many  batter 
ies,  thundering  at  the  crumbling  battlements  of 
error ;  the  missions  are  so  many  brains,  think 
ing  new  and  better  thoughts.* 

Knowledge  must  be  diffused  through  the  earth. 
We  know  two  things  more ;  namely,  that  our 
religion  can  withstand  modern  science  and  make 
it  tributary  to  itself,  and  that  no  other  religion 
can ;  for  every  other  faith  has  linked  its  science 
with  its  doctrines,  so  that  they  must  both  fall 
together.  As  to  take  Paris  is  to  take  France, 
and  to  take  Sebastopol  is  to  shake  Russia  to  the 
Arctic  seas,  and  to  take  Richmond  is  to  shake 
out  the  rebels  of  the  United  States  from  the  Po 
tomac  to  the  Rio  Grande,  so  to  Christianize  In 
dia,  owing  to  its  key  position  in  heathendom,  is 
to  shake  out  the  idols  from  the  face  of  the  whole 
earth.  Intellectual  and  moral  power  has  both 
rights  and  responsibilities,  and  it  is  destined  to 
rule  the  earth  under  the  providence  of  God. 
Should  Christian  nations  do  for  China  what  En 
gland  has  done  for  India,  would  not  the  people 
be  wiser,  better,  happier?  would  not  the  bounda 
ries  of  science,  philosophy,  and  true  religion  be 

*The  annual  expenditure  for  missions  is  $1,400,000,  and  the 
expenditure  of  the  Government  for  schools  about  the  same. 


OUR    ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

enlarged,  and  all  the  best  interests  of  the  world 
be  promoted  ?  Should  the  decrepit  empire  of 
the  Sultan  perish,  and  Great  Britain  receive 
Egypt  and  the  Barbary  States,  France  Asia 
Minor,  and  Russia  European  Turkey,  who  does 
not  see  that  peoples  long  oppressed  and  dark 
ened  would  be  delivered,  enlightened,  raised  to  a 
higher  and  nobler  civilization,  brought  into  more 
intimate  communion  with  mankind,  and  made  to 
contribute  immensely  more  to  the  wealth,  the 
wisdom,  and  the  worth  of  the  world  ?  They  may 
do  wrongs  which  may  justify  superior  nations  in 
exercising  power  over  them  ;  and  if  they  give  to 
them  governments  better  adapted  to  their  con 
dition,  and  fitted  to  secure  the  protection  of  all 
their  interests,  let  us  bid  them  Godspeed. 

We  have  entered  upon  a  grand  era.  The  Al 
mighty  is  shaking  the  nations  preparatory  to 
giving  them  to  his  Son.  The  lines  both  of 
prophecy  and  providence  converge  at  a  point  to 
which  our  feet  are  rapidly  tending.  In  the  new 
dispensation  to  which  we  hasten  India  will  be  a 
grand  actor. 


VIII. 
OUR   FIELD    IN    INDIA. 

FROM  the  general  survey  of  India,  let  us 
take  a  particular  survey  of  our  particular 
field. 

Our  mission  field  in  Hindostan  lies  between 
the  25th  and  3Oth  parallels  of  North  latitude. 
It  is  chiefly  in  the  plain  of  the  Ganges,  though 
it  crosses  the  Terai,  and  embraces  a  part  of  the 
lower  spurs  of  the  great  chain  of  mountains 
on  the  north.  Westward  and  southward  it  is 
bounded  by  the  Sacred  River,  which,  issuing 
from  a  chasm  in  the  Himalayas  at  Hurdwar, 
proceeds,  first  southward,  then  south-eastward,  to 
the  Delta.  Through  this  district,  in  a  south 
eastern  course,  flow  the  Goomtee,  the  Gogra,  the 
Saee,  the  Ramgunga,  and  the  Raptee.  Our  field 
extends  from  east  to  west,  400  miles,  and  from 
north  to  south,  nearly  150  miles. 

With  the  exception  of  the  jungle  and  a  portion 
of  the  hills  beyond,  it  is  all  arable,  and  is  the 


174  '  OUK   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

richest  soil  in  India ;  consisting  mainly  of  a  rich 
alluvial  mold,  and  containing  gold  in  some  local 
ities,  and  saltpeter  and  lime  in  others.  The  cli 
mate  during  the  months  of  November  and  De 
cember,  when  I  was  there,  was  delightful.  The 
sun  rose  day  after  day  without  a  cloud,  marched 
up  to  the  zenith  and  down  to  the  horizon  un- 
dimmed,  and  set  with  promise  of  a  brilliant  dawn. 
Nowhere  did  I  ever  see  Aurora  unbar  the  gates 
of  the  East  on  goodlier  hinges,  or  spread  beauty 
over  the  landscape  with  more  gentleness  and 
serenity.  Indeed,  the  blue  sky,  the  green  earth, 
the  gay  gardens,  the  many-colored  fields  ripening 
to  the  harvest,  the  mango  groves  alive  with  play 
ful  monkeys,  the  orchards  displaying  their  varie 
gated  fruits  beneath  dark-green  foliage  festooned 
with  the  plumage  of  Oriental  birds,  and  the  still 
warm  air,  sweet  with  a  thousand  perfumes,  re 
minded  me  of  Paradise  itself.  True,  this  is  the 
best  season  of  the  year.  There  are  periods — July 
to  November — when  warm  rains  almost  inces 
santly  fall ;  and  others — March  to  June — when 
dusty  and  sultry  winds  blow  from  the  west,  or 
damp  ones,  laden  with  the  malaria  of  Bengal  or 
Assam,  from  the  east,  and  when  constitutions 
accustomed  to  more  temperate  latitudes  languish  ; 
but  with  proper  precautions  and  appropriate 
comforts,  even  these  seasons  may  be  safely 


OUR  FIELD  IN  INDIA,  175 

passed.  The  thermometer  rarely  rises  above 
112  degrees  Fahrenheit.  Many  Europeans  in 
health  and  vigor  are  found  here,  and  many  Cau 
casians,  well  developed  and  active,  both  in  body 
and  mind,  claim  this  fair  region  as  their  native 
land.  The  children  of  the  English  are  usually 
sent  home  to  be  educated,  but  it  is  that  they 
may  escape  the  corrupting  influences  of  the  so 
cial  and  religious  life  of  the  East  rather  than 
the  enervating  effect  of  its  climate.  At  Benares, 
our  hostess,  though  born  in  India,  is  healthy, 
remarkably  fair,  and  blessed  with  offspring  as 
promising  as  herself.  At  Lukempore  we  met  a 
native  of  English  parentage  who  would  compare 
favorably  with  European  ladies  in  all  respects. 
At  Allahabad,  our  hostess,  of  English  stock  and 
Indian  birth,  has  thirteen  vigorous  children,  and 
is  so  healthy,  beautiful,  and  vivacious,  that  one 
might  suppose  she  may  be  the  mother  of  thirteen 
more.  We  met  with  many  soldiers  in  India  who 
were  in  good  health,  and  though  anxious  to 
return  to  England,  this  was  rather  because  they 
were  weary  of  military  life  than  tired  of  the 
country.  * 

It  is  well  to  note  that  the  mission  field  is  not 
exclusively  in  the  plain  of  the  Ganges,  but  em 
braces  some  hill  territory.  This  affords  an  op 
portunity  for  those  missionaries  who  have  been 


1 76  OUR   ORIENTAL   MISSIONS. 

exhausted  by  the  climate  of  the  lowlands  to  ren 
ovate  themselves  without  surceasing-  from  their 
labors.  Our  field  contains  two  choice  spots  for 
Sanitaria ;  namely,  Nynee  Tal  and  Pouri.  The 
former  is  built  around  a  lake  six  thousand  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  sea,  in  a  mountain  basin 
on  which  magnificent  peaks  cast  their  shadows. 
Looking  up  when  the  morning  is  moist,  you  may 
see  their  summits  putting  on  their  misty  hoods 
as  a  judge  puts  on  his  powdered  wig,  or  ascend 
ing  an  eminence  you  may  look  clown  and  see 
the  clouds  below  you  encompassing  the  mountain 
bosom  like  a  girdle.  Around  the  picturesque 
lake  of  pure  water,  with  fish  in  its  caves  and 
fowl  on  its  surface,  runs  a  graveled  road,  on 
part  of  which  is  a  bazaar. 

From  the  shore  up  the  mountain  sides,  wher 
ever  the  situation  is  favorable  for  building,  rise 
palatial  residences  in  European  style,  though 
modified  to  adapt  them  to  a  warm  climate. 
Thither  English  officers  and  their  families  resort 
in  the  hot  season,  and  find  a  bracing  air,  a  charm 
ing  scenery,  and  facilities  for  swimming,  racing, 
boating,  hunting,  fishing,  cricket,  and  other  ath 
letic  amusements.  Ladies  may  ride  around  the 
lake  on  fleet  horses,  or,  taking  a  jampan,  visit  the 
mountain  gorges,  or  by  an  ascent  of  five  miles 
reach  the  top  of  Cheena,  and  after  looking  down 


OUR  FIELD  IN  INDIA.  177 

two  thousand  feet  to  the  lake,  or  eight  thousand 
to  the  plains,  may,  by  walking  a  short  distance 
over  a  grassy  platform,  look  up  twenty-one  thou 
sand  to  the  snowy  range  of  the  Himalayas,  stretch 
ing  half  round  the  horizon  in  a  vast  amphitheater, 
rising  to  the  heavens  as  if  to  support  the  throne 
of  the  Almighty,  and  inclosing  within  their  semi 
circle  a  field  of  mountains  of  lower  elevation,  up 
whose  sides  climb  the  yew,  the  holly,  the  pine, 
and  the  cedar,  here  and  there  creeping  up  the 
crevices  nearly  to  the  cold  granite  tops. 

Should  the  company  linger  till  evening,  they 
will  pause  in  their  descent  to  mark  the  shadows 
cast  by  the  mountains  upon  one  another,  and  the 
pink  tints  of  such  slopes  as  are  exposed  to  the 
setting  sun,  and  to  ride  in  those  chariots  of  God, 
the  clouds,  as  they  rise  from  the  valleys,  but  not 
to  reach  the  peaks  covered  with  eternal  snow. 
Earth  has  no  spot  better  fitted  to  invigorate  both 
body  and  mind.  Here  we  should  build  a  spa 
cious  house  for  our  missionaries,  that  thither, 
while  weary  pilgrims  of  the  plain,  they  may  cast 
their  longing  eyes,  and  there  may  tune  their 
divine  harps  when  they  are  unstrung. 

Our  field  is  as  fruitful  as  it  is  fair.  It  pro 
duces  wheat,  maize,  barley,  grain,  various  species 
of  dahl,  bajra,  peas,  beans,  mustard  seed,  from 
which  oil  is  made,  the  castor-oil  bean,  til,  rice, 

A  12 


1/8  OUR   ORIENTAL   MISSIONS, 

cotton,  indigo,  and  opium.  Several  vegetables 
have  been  introduced  from  Europe,  such  as  the 
tomato  and  potato.  The  fruits  are  numerous, 
healthful,  and  luscious,  among  which  are  the 
mango,  the  guava,  the  banana,  the  plantain,  the 
tac,  the  lime,  the  pumalo,  the  tamarind,  the  cus 
tard  apple,  the  pine-apple,  the  apricot,  the  plum, 
the  pear,  the  peach,  the  orange,  the  musk-melon, 
the  water-melon,  the  pomegranate.  Small  fruits, 
such  as  grapes,  raspberries,  and  strawberries, 
abound.  In  the  lowlands  we  find  the  bamboo, 
and  in  the  forests  the  sissoo,  toon,  beech,  syca 
more,  chestnut,  acacia,  oak,  pepul,  nim,  saul,  and 
various  species  of  palm,  while  here  and  there  we 
see  the  sandal  shed  its  odors,  and  the  banyan 
spread  its  ample  arms  and  arches. 

The  shrubs  are  numerous,  and  many,  such  as 
the  box,  the  mandy,  the  cactus,  and  the  jait,  are 
used  for  hedges.  The  flowers  most  common  are 
the  balsam,  the  convolvulus,  the  heart's-ease,  the 
mimosa,  the  fuchsia,  the  amaranth,  the  wax- 
flower,  and  the  aloe.  Roses  are  found  all  the 
year,  and  marigolds  are  extensively  cultivated,  as 
they  are  used  in  the  temples,  both  to  adorn  the 
worshipers  and  to  be  cast  upon  the  shrines. 
Animal  life  abounds.  Of  the  horse,  you  may 
meet  with  the  tatoo,  the  mule,  the  Cabul  steed, 
a  fine  creature ;  the  Australian,  a  large  one ;  the 


OUR    FIELD  IN  INDIA.  179 

Arabian,  a  fleet  one,  though  the  climate  will  not 
allow  any  of  them  to  be  used,  except  very  mod 
erately.  The  animals  chiefly  employed  for  draft 
are  the  ox,  of  Tartary,  and  the  buffalo.  The 
elephant  is  used  by  those  who  can  afford  it. 
Near  the  cities  may  be  seen  donkeys,  in  long 
lines,  with  panniers  upon  their  backs  ;  camels  in 
droves,  laden  with  the  traffic  of  the  West,  and 
tied  by  ropes  extending  from  the  tail  of  one  to 
the  nose  of  the  next.  Now  and  then  a  swift 
camel  may  be  seen  with  a  skillful  rider  upon  his 
back,  carrying  express  messages  from  camp  to 
camp,  at  the  rate  of  ten  miles  an  hour  and  a 
hundred  a  day.  Sheep  follow  their  shepherds  to 
the  plain,  and  goats  of  great  variety  range  the 
mountains  ;  swine,  lean  and  lank,  are  driven  from 
gutter  to  gutter  by  swineherds,  now,  as  in  the 
Savior's  time,  deemed  the  lowest  of  mankind ; 
the  shepherd  dog  is  with  the  flock,  and  the  mas 
tiff  at  the  door ;  the  mongoose  seizes  the  snake, 
as  he  moves  through  the  grass  ;  jackals,  foxes, 
porcupines,  and  hares  start  from  the  thicket ;  the 
wild  elephant  and  boar,  roused  by  the  passing 
dhooley,  and  alarmed  by  the  sight  of  the  mu- 
salch  and  the  shout  of  the  coolies,  rush  into  the 
jungle ;  the  wolt  often  enters  the  village  and 
carries  off  an  aged  person  or  stray  child  ;  the 
leopard  leaps  upon  his  unsuspecting  victim ;  the 


ISO  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

tiger  watches  by  rock  or  stream  for  the  passing 
pilgrim ;  the  bear,  black,  brown,  or  white,  accord 
ing  to  elevation,  ranges  the  mountains ;  eagles 
perch  upon  the  peaks,  vultures  fight  over  the  car 
casses  of  city  or  field  ;  cranes,  storks,  swans, 
ducks,  ami  kingfishers  are  seen  by  the  streams ; 
parrots  and  peacocks  adorn  the  groves  ;  quails 
and  partridges  run  through  the  heather;  cocks 
crow  before  the  door ;  geese  cackle  at  the  barn  ; 
and  crows  hover  over  the  fields  or  alight  upon 
the  half-burned  bodies  floating  down  the  rivers. 
Fishes  swarm  the  streams,  and  crocodiles  and 
sharks  watch  at  their  mouths  ;  worms  spin  their 
silk,  or  distill  their  lac ;  musquitoes  sting  the  un 
wary  traveler;  locusts  devastate  large  tracts  of 
country;  while  white  ants  honeycomb  the  cut- 
cha  walls,  tunnel  beams  and  rafters,  consume 
carpets  and  books,  literally  destroying  houses 
and  consuming  their  furniture.  A  banker,  who 
had  a  large  deficit,  charged  it  to  profit  and  loss 
account,  saying  that  the  ants  had  eaten  up  his 
missing  bags  of  silver,  though  the  stockholders 
were  rather  incredulous  on  the  subject.  It  is 
astonishing  that  such  little  creatures  can  do  such 
mischief.  They  are  small,  soft,  gelatinous,  and 
the  birds  devour  them  by  the  thousand,  as  if  they 
were  masses  of  jelly,  and  yet  there  is  scarcely  a 
beam — unless  it  be  of  sal  timber — or  a  wall 


OUR  FIELD  IN  INDIA.  l8l 

through  which  they  will  not  make  their  passage. 
They  often  push  their  march  through  solid  col 
umns  of  burnt  brick. 

But  it  is  time  to  speak  of  the  noblest  animal. 
The  population  of  our  field  is  set  clown  at  fifteen 
millions.  Politically  they  belong  to  the  late 
kingdom  of  Oude,  the  province  of  Rohilcund, 
the  native  state  of  Rampore,  and  the  hill  prov 
inces  of  Ghurwall  and  Kumaon.  They  are  of 
black  color,  graceful  forms,  straight  hair,  and 
Caucasian  features.  Physically,  they  are  hand 
somer  than  the  tribes  of  the  Deccan,  and 
stronger  than  the  Bengalese  or  the  Madrassese ; 
morally,  they  are  braver,  prouder,  more  warlike 
than  all,  consisting  largely  of  the  Rohillas  and 
Rajpoots,  tribes  noted  for  their  daring  and  prow 
ess,  and  having  among  them  a  considerable  num 
ber  of  Mohammedans,  a  people  every-where  dis 
tinguished  both  for  energy  and  arrogance.  Both 
Rohillas  and  Mussulmans  entered  the  country 
sword  in  hand,  and  though  subdued,  have  not 
been  conquered.  The  long  conflict  between  the 
Talookdars  and  the  cultivators  of  this  region 
trained  both  to  arms,  and  made  most  of  them 
professional  robbers. 

From  this  quarter,  chiefly,  the  British  obtained 
the  Sepoys  with  which  they  filled  up  the  lines  of 
the  Bengal  army.  There  are  over  a  million  of 


1 82  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

people  iii  the  district  of  Roy  Bareilly,  and  only 
one  large  town  in  it.  This  fact  is  attributed  to 
the  circumstance  that  under  Mohammedan  rule 
this  part  of  the  country  was  inhabited  by  a  tribe 
from  which  the  king's  troopers  were  taken.  It 
was  comparatively  lawless,  and  it  rendered  both 
life  and  property  insecure,  so  that  a  few  years 
ago  it  was  dangerous  to  go  even  through  the 
city  unarmed. 

The  people  of  the  hills  are  industrious,  provi 
dent,  and  happy.  Every  man  seems  to  have  his 
wife,  and  cow,  and  little  plot  of  land,  generally 
three  acres.  In  the  cold  season  they  go  down  to 
the  plains  with  their  flocks,  furniture,  and  fami 
lies,  and  engage  in  some  useful  labor  till  the 
return  of  Spring.  The  women  are  often  seen  at 
the  roadside  bearing  burdens  upon  their  heads. 
I  have  seen  them  carrying  stone  from  the  quar 
ries  in  this  way. 

The  civilization  of  our  whole  field  is  quite  dif 
ferent  from  American.  The  houses  are  usually 
mud  or  unburnt  brick,  the  walls  rising  six  or 
seven  feet  above  the  roof  to  form  an  inclosed 
court  for  the  women,  which  is  protected  during 
the  rains  by  a  temporary  covering  of  bamboo. 
The  floors  are  of  earth,  and  the  rooms  are  with 
out  ceiling.  We  often  find  a  court  in  the  rear 
of  the  habitation,  where  the  goats  and  cattle  find 


OUR  FIELD  IN  INDIA.  183 

refuge  at  night,  the  cooks  prepare  the  meals,  and 
the  family  sleep  during  the  hot  season,  safe  from 
wolves,  who  avoid  walls,  fearing  traps  inside. 

Some  of  the  farms  have  low  walls,  or  fences 
made  of  mud,  or  hedges,  but  usually  they  have 
no  inclosures.  A  sort  of  crate  on  four  high 
poles  overlooks  each  plantation,  and  here  sits  a 
watchman  with  a  long  whip  to  frighten  off  in 
truders,  whether  biped  or  quadruped,  usually  the 
former,  as  the  flocks  and  herds  are  attended 
by  their  keepers.  The  agricultural  implements, 
plow,  harrow,  roller,  wooden  spade,  axes,  two 
inches  by  four,  sharp-pointed  hoe,  small  sickle, 
and  grass-cutter,  are  usually  of  the  rudest  kind. 
The  plow  merely  scratches  the  ground,  and  the 
harrow  is  often  only  the  branch  of  a  tree,  though 
the  earth  is  frequently  prepared  for  the  seed 
with  a  spade.  Fertilizers  and  rotation  of  crops 
are  rarely  employed.  Stock  is  kept  to  a  limited 
extent  only,  as  the  religious  prejudices  of  the 
people  prevent  the  use  of  animal  food.  The 
ordure  of  field  and  stable,  strange  to  say,  is  used 
either  for  fuel  or  sacred  purposes.  The  lower 
classes  will  eat  mutton  and  fowl  when  they  can 
obtain  it.  The  British  are  slowly  introducing 
improvements ;  the  labor  of  man  is,  however,  too 
cheap  to  afford  much  encouragement  to  the  in 
troduction  of  machinery.  Our  missionaries  once 


184  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

introduced  an  American  plow,  but  the  cattle 
could  not  draw  it.  No  pumps  or  windlasses  are 
used  in  the  wells,  the  water  is  drawn  either  by 
human  hand  or  by  cattle.  Women  still  sit  at  the 
mill,  and  the  sound  of  the  grinding  is  heard  every 
morning.  The  grain  is  trodden  out  by  oxen, 
and  winnowed  in  large  baskets,  or  in  blankets 
shaken  by  men.  Burdens  are  generally  borne 
upon  the  head.  In  crossing  the  Jumna  I  saw 
hundreds — men,  women,  and  children — carrying 
earth  upon  their  heads,  in  little  baskets,  to  lay 
the  foundations  of  the  abutments.  If  you  were 
to  give  them  wheelbarrows  they  would  probably 
use  them  in  the  same  way.  Freight  is  conveyed 
either  in  this  manner  or  on  bamboos.  The 
bridges  are  pontoon,  and  the  boats  often  wear 
canvas  hewed  out  of  seisam  logs.  By  the  insti 
tution  of  caste,  laborers  are  so  classified  that 
every  gentleman's  house  needs  a  dozen  servants 
or  more.  The  bearer  takes  care  of  the  house 
furniture  and  lamps ;  the  kitmutgar  buys  and 
prepares  the  food  ;  the  musalche  is  a  subordinate 
to  the  kitmutgar  in  the  kitchen  ;  the  mehter 
sweeps  the  floors  and  attends  to  the  bath-rooms  ; 
the  syce  cares  for  the  horse  and  drives  it;  the 
grass-cutter  provides  for  the  stable,  since  no 
hay  is  made  in  India;  the  beestee  draws  and  car 
ries  the  water ;  the  dhoby  washes  the  clothes ; 


OUR  FIELD  IN  INDIA.  185 

the  durzee — tailor — makes  and  mends  the  gar 
ments  ;  the  chokedar  watches  through  the  night 
the  house  and  aviary ;  the  ayah  has  charge  of 
the  nursery ;  the  mettrannie  is  the  chamber 
maid  ;  and  the  t\vo  punkah-wallahs  pull  the  fans 
which  are  needed  in  the  hot  season.  The  above 
are  all  that  are  found  in  missionary  families,  and 
of  these  the  durzee  and  the  punkah-wallah  are 
not  needed  more  than  half  the  time.  Should 
any  think  this  force  too  great,  let  him  try  it. 
But,  in  addition  to  these,  rich  European  families 
have  a  khansana  or  steward,  a  chuprasse  or  mes 
senger,  a  dhai  or  wet  nurse,  and  an  extra  bearer, 
ayah,  cook,  durzee,  and  from  two  to  ten  syces, 
according  to  the  number  of  horses  kept,  making 
a  staff  of  from  twenty-three  to  thirty  servants, 
besides  the  coolies  necessary  to  bear  the  jampan 
or  the  dhooley,  when  one  goes  where  the  roads 
do  not  admit  of  carriages.  This  staff  is  not,  as 
we  might  suppose,  ruinous.  The  wages  are,  per 
month,  taking  the  servants  in  the  above  order, 

<#  ^-»    r  /~\       C?j       G?^       tf'->      ^  ^>    r*  r\      $.  *")      <tk  ^      CSfor*/^      ^/">       $  ^      &  A 

$2.50,   #>4,   $3,   #>2,  $2.50,  $2,  $2,  $3.50,  #$2,   $2,  J&4, 

$2,  $1.50,  amounting  to  $33;  but  as  punkah- 
wallahs  are  not  constantly  needed,  and  as  the 
syce  is  often  grass-cutter  also,  say  $28.  As 
these  laborers  support  themselves,  you  perceive 
that  their  united  cost  is  not  equal  to  that  of 
one  hired  girl  among  us. 


1 86  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

Manufactures  in  India  are  by  slow  and  coarse 
processes,  but  the  patience  and  skill  of  the  arti 
sans  make  up  for  the  imperfection  of  their  in 
struments.  In  cotton  and  silk,  fine  fabrics  are 
found  in  northern  cities ;  in  gold  and  silver 
works,  the  shops  of  Delhi  are  unrivaled  ;  in  fur 
niture,  Bareilly  is  scarcely  surpassed  ;  at  Secrora 
you  meet  with  extensive  factories  of  children's 
toys  ;  at  Tyzabad  I  saw  manufactures  in  wood, 
such  as  bureaus  and  dressing  cases,  that  would 
have  done  credit  to  any  establishment.  The 
mechanics  generally  sit  at  their  work,  using 
their  toes  as  vises,  etc.  They  are  not  inventive, 
but  imitative.  Their  best  productions  are  from 
European  copies.  Hindoos  are  so  particular  in 
copying  that  they  should  be  supplied  with  a  per 
fect  pattern.  We  heard  of  a  gentleman  who 
gave  his  native  tailor  a  pair  of  pantaloons  as  a 
pattern,  and  who  found  that  the  new  garment 
was  an  imitation  of  the  old,  even  to  the  patch 
on  the  knee,  and  the  rent  in  another  place. 

The  methods  of  traveling  are  not  very  com 
fortable.  The  British  have,  however,  made  some 
fine  spacious  metaled  roads,  and  shaded  them 
with  trees,  generally  of  the  tamarind  species. 
The  lime  used  for  this  purpose  is  found  near 
the  surface.  When  burning  it  makes  an  oxide, 
with  some  impurities.  In  the  form  of  a  hydrate 


OUR  FIELD  IN  INDIA.  187 

It  makes  an  excellent  finishing  for  houses,  inside 
or  outside  ;  mixed  with  sand  and  well  pounded 
it  makes  a  hard  and  durable  cement,  so  beauti 
ful  that  it  has  often  been  mistaken  for  marble. 

The  native  roads  are  poor  and  narrow,  so  that 
traveling  by  carriage  over  them  is  impracticable. 
Usually  the  traveling  is  in  light  conveyances, 
borne  on  the  shoulders  of  men  by  means  of 
poles.  Thejampan  is  like  a  large  chair,  with  a 
canvas  attachment  for  the  feet,  and  is  carried 
by  two  men,  relieved  when  weary  by  others  ;  it 
answers  for  short  distances,  and  in  ascending 
mountains ;  the  dandy  is  similar  to  it.  The  pal 
anquin  is  a  covered  conveyance  of  light  wood, 
often  ornamented,  large  enough  for  a  couch,  and 
heavy  enough  to  require  four  bearers.  It  has 
sliding  doors  at  the  side,  and  is  the  usual  car 
riage  of  native  gentlemen.  The  dhooley  is  a 
less  expensive  structure  of  the  same  size  and 
style,  usually  covered  with  colored  cotton  cloth. 
The  accommodations  for  travelers  are  imperfect. 
The  Government  has  established,  on  the  princi 
pal  roads,  taverns  or  bungalows,  furnished  with 
bedsteads  and  chairs,  and  kept  by  natives  who 
understand  European  methods  of  cooking.  Here 
you  may  either  provide  or  order  your  own  meals, 
and  you  are  charged  according  to  a  fixed  scale. 
Sometimes,  however,  we  find  ourselves  compelled 


1 88  OUR    ORIENTAL   MISSIONS. 

to  cook  our  meals  by  the  roadside.  There  are 
serais  for  natives.  The  serai  is  a  tavern  built 
round  a  court,  surrounded  by  a  high  wall,  and 
entered  by  lofty  gates,  through  which  the  cara 
vans  or  carts  are  driven,  and  which  are  closed 
at  night-fall.  Around  the  court  are  rooms  where 
the  travelers  may  rest,  and  which  may  be  rented 
for  a  cent  a  night ;  here,  too,  are  to  be  found 
shops  at  which  necessaries  may  be  procured, 
persons  who  may  be  employed  as  cooks  ;  here 
also  are  wells,  and  places  of  worship. 

Sometimes  traveling  is  by  elephant.  My  first 
ride  on  this  animal  was  a  pleasure  excursion  at 
Bareilly.  The  elephant  was  driven  to  the  door 
by  the  mahout  seated  on  his  neck,  with  an  iron 
instrument  having  a  point  to  urge  the  animal 
forward,  and  a  hook  to  hold  him  back.  At  a 
signal  the  elephant  went  upon  his  knees,  and 
a  ladder  having  been  placed  at  his  back,  we 
mounted  and  seated  ourselves  in  a  houdah,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Thomas  on  one  side,  Mrs.  Wangh  and 
I  on  the  other.  As  the  animal  arose  and  moved 
off  a  chuprasse  climbed  up  his  tail  and  seated 
himself  above  it,  and  we  were  ready  for  an  aris 
tocratic  ride.  On  we  go  through  the  narrow 
streets  of  the  city,  sometimes  looking  down 
upon  the  mud  houses,  and  sometimes  trembling 
lest  the  elephant  should  not  work  his  way 


OUR  FIELD  IN  INDIA.  189 

through  without  mischief  to  himself  or  others. 
At  Lukimpoor  we  borrowed  an  elephant  of  the 
commissioner  to  go  to  Hugauo,  fifteen  miles 
distant,  where  we  were  to  be  met  with  a  dhooley 
to  convey  us  to  Seetapore.  A  crimson  pad  was 
placed  upon  the  elephant's  back,  on  which  Dr. 
Butler,  brother  Gracey,  and  myself  were  seated. 
We  started  before  sunset,  and  reached  Hugauo 
at  midnight.  I  could  not  repress  the  fear  that  I 
should  roll  off  and  be  crushed  under  the  ani 
mal's  feet.  A  few  days  after  we  received  a  note 
from  the  owner,  saying  that  the  elephant  had 
returned  without  any  indication  of  the  burden 
she  had  borne.  This  reminded  us  too  strongly 
of  the  fly  on  the  ox. 

What  has  been  said  shows  the  facility  with 
which  our  missionaries  may  pass  from  point  to 
point  during  the  season  of  itinerancy.  Each 
station  is  provided  with  a  tent  and  other  itinerat 
ing  requisites.  At  the  suitable  period  the  mis 
sionary  sending  his  tent  before  him  on  a  camel, 
follows  on  horseback  or  in  a  dhooley,  and  finds 
all  things  in  readiness  on  his  arrival.  By  writing 
in  advance  to  the  Tyceldar  he  can  secure  all 
necessary  provisions  for  his  comfort,  and  facili 
ties  for  his  work. 

Within  our  mission  field  are  various  shrines 
and  melas  of  great  veneration  and  celebrity,  such 


IQO  OUR   ORIENTAL   MISSIONS. 

as  Hurdwar,  Gurmakteser,  Bithoor,  Ajoodiha, 
which  afford  fine  opportunities  for  preaching  the 
Gospel.  On  our  way  from  Meerut  to  Bijnour, 
and  from  Nugena  to  Gurmukteser,  we  found  the 
road  thronged  with  devotees.  On  arriving  at  the 
last  place  we  saw,  by  estimation,  250,000  people 
encamped  on  one  side  of  the  stream,  and  500,- 
ooo  on  the  other.  The  camps  were  in  regular 
avenues,  watched  by  a  strong  police.  Here  rows 
of  jewelers'  shops  from  Delhi,  there  rows  of  toy 
sellers  from  Secrora ;  on  this  side  provisions,  on 
that  offerings  for  the  gods.  Riding  along  the 
lines  we  stopped  at  a  hollow  square  of  amused 
spectators,  formed  round  a  company  of  priests 
who  were  disfigured  with  paint,  arrayed  in  saf 
fron  robes,  and  seated  cross-legged  on  the 
ground,  singing  the  praises  of  the  Ganges  in  a 
song,  the  chorus  of  which  called  for  pice — 
money — which  one  of  them  on  his  feet  stretched 
out  his  hand  along  the  lines  to  receive.  On  we 
go  to  a  similar  square,  within  which  a  dancing 
girl,  bedizened  as  to  her  ears,  wrists,  fingers, 
nose,  and  toes,  was  performing  and  singing  for 
rewards  more  freely  given  than  those  to  the 
priests.  Idols  in  boats  on  the  water  are  collect 
ing  pice  in  cloth  aprons.  In  the  morning  the 
people  bathe  in  the  river,  the  women  at  a  very 
early  hour,  the  more  devout  men  next,  those  less 


OUR  FIELD  IN  INDIA.  IQI 

so  when  the  water  is  warmer ;  in  the  evening 
the  Ganges  is  lighted  up  with  lamps  placed  in 
boats,  so  that  it  seems  a  river  on  fire.  The  peo 
ple  remain  together  a  week,  during  which  time 
our  missionaries  can  preach  to  them.  We  heard 
Mr.  Hernle,  of  the  Church  mission,  preach  from 
a  wagon  on  one  side  of  the  stream,  and  Mr. 
Parker,  of  our  mission  at  Moradabad,  and  his 
assistant,  Andreas,  on  the  other.  The  people 
listened  with  attention,  often  asked  questions, 
and  always  laughed  when  the  idols  were  ridi 
culed.  This  camp-meeting,  attended  with  so 
much  privation,  is  for  a  religious  purpose.  At 
the  close  of  the  Mela,  at  the  propitious  moment 
of  the  full  moon,  of  which  the  priests  give  the 
signal,  the  people  together  rush  into  the  water 
to  wash  away  their  sins.  By  these  occasions  we 
can  reach  masses  not  only  from  India,  but  from 
Thibet  and  other  States  north  of  Hindostan. 

Many  think  of  the  Hindoos  as  of  the  Africans 
or  Indians.  The  lower  classes  are  indeed  igno 
rant,  pressed  so  hard  by  poverty  that  they  have 
little  opportunity  for  culture  ;  and  as  they  move 
before  the  stranger  without  hats  or  shoes,  and 
with  but  little  covering  on  other  parts  of  the 
body,  they  impress  him  as  a  rude  and  barbarous 
people.  Yet  India  had  a  high  degree  of  cultiva 
tion  in  early  ages,  and  her  upper  classes  still 


I Q2  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

exhibit  a  good  degree  of  learning  and  refinement. 
Within  our  field  are  three  different  civilizations. 
There  are  none  of  the  Bheels,  Ghonds,  or  other 
aboriginal  tribes.  Nearly  three-fifths  of  the 
population  are  Hindoos,  one-fifth  Mohammedan. 
The  Mussulmans,  intelligent,  enterprising,  and 
occupying  the  cities  in  which  their  ancestors 
were  once  the  rulers,  exert  no  little  influence. 
The  British,  though  few,  exert  their  power 
through  the  magistrates,  the  laws,  and  the  army. 

The  vernacular  of  the  Hindoos  is  Hindee,  a 
soft,  beautiful,  and  flexible  language,  derived 
from  the  Sanscrit.  This,  though  it  has  long- 
ceased  to  be  a  spoken  tongue,  lies  at  the  foun 
dation  of  almost  every  dialect  of  the  East,  but  is 
now  appropriated  to  religious  records,  and,  till 
the  Asiatic  researches  of  the  English,  was  shut 
up  for  ages  in  the  libraries  of  the  Brahmins. 

The  language  of  the  Mussulmans  is  Ordu  or 
Hindustani,  derived  from  the  Arabic  through 
the  Persian.  It  is  more  light  and  elegant  than 
the  Hindee,  and  better  adapted  to  conversation. 
The  Persian  is  the  learned  language  of  Moham 
medans,  and  the  medium  of  their  choicest  liter 
ature.  Many  Rajahs  have  educated  Englishmen 
as  tutors  in  their  families,  and  are  themselves 
acquainted  with  several  tongues  of  modern  Eu 
rope.  Children  of  all  castes  attend  the  schools 


OUR   FIELD   IN  INDIA.  193 

of  the  Government  and  of  the  missionaries, 
which  are  in  all  the  cities  and  large  towns,  and 
their  chief  desire  is  to  acquire  the  English,  as  it 
is  considered  the  first  qualification  for  employ 
ment,  either  by  the  Government  or  European 
houses.  An  illustration  of  this  I  found  at  Gon- 
dah,  where  a  negro  is  employed  by  the  Rajah  of 
Bulrampoor.  He  was  a  slave  in  the  United 
States,  escaped  to  England,  embarked  in  an 
East  Indiaman  as  a  Lascar,  remained  in  Calcutta 
till  he  acquired  the  Hindee,  and  then  went  into 
the  service  of  the  Maharajah  as  a  teacher,  all 
his  want  of  qualification  being  overlooked  in  his 
ability  to  speak  English. 

The  Hindoo  literature  in  the  Sanscrit  medium 
consists  of  poetry,  treatises  on  music,  painting, 
ethics  and  medicine,  systems  of  philosophy  and 
works  on  arithmetic,  mathematics,  astronomy, 
logic,  and  law,  but  nothing  to  add  to  our  stores  of 
useful  knowledge.  The  literature  in  the  Hindee 
is  very  far  below  this,  and  that  in  the  Ordu  not 
much  above  it,  though  that  in  Persian  is  proba 
bly  an  improvement.  The  Sanscrit  literature  is 
confined  to  the  Pundits,  and  the  Persian  to  the 
Moonshees,  the  learned  men  respectively  of  the 
Hindoos  and  Mohammedans.  The  whole  native 
literature  is  full  of  idle  theories,  impossible  fa 
bles,  and  unsystematized  truths.  Formerly,  in 
A  13 


194  OUR    ORIENTAL   MISSIONS. 

the  Government  colleges,  Persian  as  well  as  San 
scrit  was  taught  under  the  Mogul  emperors,  and 
a  long  time  after  it  was  the  language  of  the 
court  and  of  the  law,  but  Hindustani  has  taken 
its  place.  The  change  is  a  wise  one.  The  char 
acter  of  any  people  depends  upon  the  literature 
of  its  leading  minds,  and  this,  in  turn,  upon  their 
language.  How  different  might  have  been  the 
issue  of  our  rebellion  had  Spanish  been  our  com 
mon  medium  of  thought,  or  had  that  tongue  even 
taken  the  place  of  the  German  among  us!  The 
political  influence  coming  down  upon  Hindostan 
from  Western  Asia  will  be  less  and  less.  Be 
sides  Ordu,  Government  schools  teach  Sanscrit, 
Latin,  and  Greek,  though  the  last  two  are  elect 
ive.  Of  habits  and  manners  in  our  field  I  say 
little. 

The  Hindoos  are  naturally  indolent.  One  of 
their  proverbs  is,  "  If  I  can  ride  on  horseback, 
I  will  not  walk ;  if  I  can  ride  in  a  conveyance,  I 
will  not  go  on  horseback  ;  if  I  can  stand,  I  will 
not  ride  ;  if  I  can  sit,  I  will  not  stand  ;  and  if  I 
can  lie  down,  I  will  not  sit."  Both  Hindoos  and 
Mussulmans  are  polite.  At  Benares,  the  Gover 
nor-General  examining  a  school  asked,  "  How 
does  the  world  turn  round  ?"  "  By  your  pleas 
ure,"  was  the  prompt  reply.  On  leaving  the 
house  of  a  native,  the  holder  said,  "  I  am  your 


OUR  FIELD   IN  INDIA.  195 

servant,  what  can  I  do  for  you  ?"  When  I  re 
plied,  "  I  ask  only  your  good-will,"  he  bowed 
down  on  hands  and  feet  and  touched  his  fore 
head  to  the  floor.  Both  Mohammedans  and  Hin 
doos  listen  attentively  to  preaching,  even  at  the 
roadside  and  market-places.  Even  they  who  op 
pose  controvert  respectfully,  and  while  uttering 
hard  words,  and  putting  searching  questions,  ab 
stain  from  personalities,  and  concede  to  the  mis 
sionary  both  talents  and  learning.  At  several 
points  in  my  journey  the  head  man  of  the  village 
called  to  make  his  salaam.  At  Bareilly,  I  said  to 
a  native  lawyer,  who  called  upon  me,  "  You  are 
the  most  polite  people  in  the  world."  "We  are 
obliged  to  be,"  he  replied ;  "  we  are  a  conquered 
people."  The  speech  of  the  masses  is  highly 
figurative.  To  say  you  lie,  their  form  is,  "  You 
say  there  is  no  oil  in  the  Til."  To  express  pros 
perity,  "  He  sits  with  his  five  fingers  in  melted 
butter."  To  describe  the  moderation  of  the 
Government,  "  The  cloth  is  between  the  iron  and 
the  skin."  Excessive  devotion  is  "  an  ass's  load 
of  religion."  A  widow  who  lost  her  last  child 
said,  "  The  widow's  dove  has  fled  to  the  bosom 
of  his  Savior." 

The  Hindoos  are  superstitious.  They  have 
countless  omens  and  prognostics.  A  vulture 
alighting  on  the  roof  of  a  house,  a  sneeze,  the 


196  OUR   ORIENTAL   MISSIONS. 

howl  of  a  jackal  in  the  day-time,  the  cry  of  a  liz 
ard,  the  croaking  of  a  raven  on  the  housetop, 
stepping  over  a  string,  pronouncing  a  monkey's 
or  a  miser's  name  the  first  thing  in  the  morning, 
are  omens  of  evil,  a  lizard  falling  to  the  right  an 
omen  of  good.  Plowing,  sowing,  reaping,  are  all 
done  with  certain  ceremonies  and  on  propitious 
days.  Multiplied  incantations  attend  both  mar 
riage  and  death.  Each  day  of  the  week  is  de 
voted  to  some  god,  and  thought  to  be  connected 
w,ith  some  form  of  good  or  evil.  Sunday  is  sa 
cred  to  the  sun  and  to  Shiva,  and  is  suitable 
either  for  building  or  sowing  seed  ;  Monday  to 
the  moon  and  Mahadeva,  and  is  the  time  to 
mount  a  new  horse  or  set  out  on  a  journey; 
Tuesday,  sacred  to  Mangal,  answering  to  Mars, 
is  the  day  to  fight  battles  and  open  forges ; 
Wednesday,  sacred  to  Buddha,  corresponding  to 
Mercury,  is  the  day  to  collect  debts  and  wash 
clothes  ;  Thursday,  sacred  to  Vrihaspati,  is  the  day 
for  opening  a  new  shop  or  wearing  ornaments ; 
Friday,  sacred  to  Shukra,  is  when  women  wor 
ship  for  children  lost  or  on  a  journey;  Saturday, 
sacred  to  Shani,  answering  to  Saturn,  is  the  day 
for  acquiring  magic,  exciting  quarrels,  and  enact 
ing  enormities.  To  a  great  extent  the  supersti 
tion  is  hypocrisy.  They  who  arrest  the  march 
of  armies  lest  they  should  destroy  insects,  build 


OUR  FIELD  IN  INDIA.  197 

hospitals  for  disabled  animals,  and,  as  Sir  James 
Forbes  relates,  hire  beggars  to  lie  quiet  while 
vermin  feast  upon  them,  can  shoot,  mangle,  and 
cut  up  their  adversaries. 

The  morals  of  this  region  are  bad.  The  Ve- 
dants  are  pantheists,  and  maintain  that  God's  om 
nipotence  excludes  all  other  power,  and  his  om 
nipresence  all  other  existence.  They  deny  the 
immutability  of  moral  distinctions,  attribute  evil 
acts  to  the  gods,  and  think  Fakirs  may  do  as 
they  will.  The  priests  teach  purification  by  ex 
ternal  means — water,  fire,  etc. — ascribe  efficacy 
to  rites  independent  of  the  mind  of  the  worshiper, 
and  think  sin  may  be  atoned  for  by  presents  to 
the  Brahmins. 

Mohammedans  seem  to  ignore  immorality  of 
thought.  Their  prevailing  sect  is  the  Sunnites, 
whose  faith  has  been  tinctured  with  the  doctrines 
of  the  Shiites  through  the  intercourse  between 
Oude  and  Persia,  and  has  felt  the  influence  of 
Paganism,  so  that  its  observances  in  honor  of 
the  Imaums,  its  offerings  at  the  tombs  of  saints, 
and  the  respect  it  allows  to  Hindoo  divinities 
very  much  resemble  idolatry,  while  it  has  re 
ceived  but  little  impulse  from  the  reformers. 
This,  perhaps,  is  not  much  to  be  regretted,  as 
the  Wahabees  themselves  are  in  fundamental 
error.  Maulavee  Imail  says,  "If  one  alone  com- 


198  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

mits  faults  equal  to  all — sinners — yet  he  shall  be 
pardoned  through  the  blessings  of  the  doctrine 
of  unity."  "  If  he  believes  this  his  very  sins  will 
be  more  acceptable  than  the  worship  of  others." 
The  Hadees,  or  traditions,  the  chief  guide  of 
Mussulmans,  confound  moral  distinctions.  Take 
the  following:  There  was  a  holy  man  who  did 
nothing  but  righteousness,  and  a  bad  one  who 
did  nothing  but  sin.  When  the  latter  committed 
an  enormity,  the  former  said  to  him,  "God  will 
punish  thee."  He  replied,  "Leave  that  to  God 
and  me."  At  that  moment  dying,  they  came  to 
judgment.  God  said  to  the  holy  man,  "Can  I 
save  this  sinner  ?"  He  answered,  "  Thou  art  al 
mighty."  To  this  God  replied,  "Well;"  then 
turning  to  the  bad  man  he  said,  "Enter  heaven," 
and  to  the  good,  "Go  thou  into  hell." 

The  practice  is  like  the  theory.  At  Budaon  I 
was  told  that  five  at  least  out  of  every  twenty 
women  are  "strange,"  in  the  sense  of  Solomon, 
and  that  hundreds  of  men  commit  the  sin  of 
Sodom ;  the  magistrate  said,  "  Half  the  men  of 
the  city."  A  man  was  in  jail  under  sentence 
of  death  for  killing  another  under  the  influence 
of  a  boy  who  stood  in  the  same  relation  to  him 
that  Helen  did  to  Paris.  At  Seetapore  we  saw 
a  mosque  built  by  a  courtesan  with  her  vicious 
earnings,  and  near  it  an  expensive  tomb  in 


OUR  FIELD  IN  INDIA.  199 

which  her  honored  remains  lie.  This  is  the 
more  remarkable,  as  Mohammedans  do  not  agree 
as  to  the  possibility  of  a  woman  entering  heaven. 
The  houris  are  celestial  females,  and  the  faithful 
who  gain  paradise  are  spoken  of  in  the  Koran 
as  masculine.  At  Calcutta  the  courtesans  have 
petitioned  the  Governor,  setting  forth  that  they 
perform  services  connected  with  the  popular  re 
ligion,  and  they  ask  that  their  rights  be  pro 
tected.  Fakirs  are  consulted  as  confessors,  and 
often  meddle  in  domestic  disputes  and  lead  to 
the  separation  of  families,  while  some  of  the 
lower  class  consider  it  an  honor  for  these  holy 
men  to  take  sinful  liberties  in  their  households. 
The  sacred  books  of  the  Hindoos  limit  the 
learning  of  females  to  three  things — sweeping 
the  house,  cooking  food,  and  ornamenting  their 
persons.  Widows  can  not  remarry,  and  must  eat 
but  one  meal  a  day,  sleep  on  the  .ground,  and 
do  the  drudgery  of  the  house.  Children  are 
often  treated  with  neglect  and  cruelty,  and  some 
times  repay  the  unkindness  by  exposing  their 
parents  on  the  banks  of  the  Ganges.  Such  are 
only  a  few  of  the  enormities  practiced  here. 

Hindoo  religion  is  complicated.  There  are 
orthodox  and  heterodox  sects.  The  former  are 
five — the  Shiva,  Vishnava,  Saura,  Sakta,  and 
Ganapatya.  In  our  field,  the  first  and  second 


2OO  OUR   ORIENTAL   MISSIONS. 

are  the  prevailing  ones,  but  their  subdivisions 
and  their  objects  of  worship  are  many,  though 
the  most  popular  are  Ram  and  Krisha.  The 
Vishnavas  consider  all  as  heretics  who  worship 
other  gods  than  Vishnu,  and  they  avoid  all  Brah 
mins  who  do  not  belong  to  them.  They  adore 
their  god  in  a  series  of  different  forms,  as  the 
ministrant  ascends  the  scale  of -.perfection.  Their 
teachers  are  generally  celibates,  living  in  com 
munities,  and  pursuing  a  wandering  and  mendi 
cant  life.  They  have  convents,  (Maths,)  gov 
erned  by  superiors,  (Mahants,)  and  occupied  by 
(Elders)  resident  disciples. 

Initiation  in  all  sects  is  by  whispering  in  the 
ear  of  the  disciple  a  sentence  called  the  "  man 
tra,"  never  to  be  uttered  to  profane  ears. 

The  great  sacraments  of  the  Hindoos  are,  i. 
The  worship  of  spirits,  progenitors,  gods,  vedas, 
and  men ;  2.  Obsequial  rites ;  3.  The  study  of 
the  sacred  books  ;  4.  Oblations  by  fire ;  5.  Hos 
pitality.  There  are  daily,  weekly,  monthly,  and 
yearly  duties.  A  Brahmin  should  divide  his  day 
into  seven  equal  parts,  and  assign  to  each  a  re 
ligious  duty.  Usually,  however,  he  spends  but 
four  hours  a  day  in  devotion.  Worship  consists 
in  bathing,  pouring  out  drink-offerings  to  de 
ceased  ancestors,  repeating  certain  formulas, 
making  offerings  of  flowers,  water,  etc.,  and 


OUR  FIELD  IN  INDIA.  2OI 

uttering,  for  some  time,  the  name  of  the  guard 
ian  god.  To  facilitate  the  last  operation  a 
rosary  of  the  seeds  of  either  the  Tulasi  or  the 
Rudrah  is  used,  care  being  taken  that  the  fore 
finger  shall  not  touch  the  beads,  for  this  would 
render  the  worshiper  unholy.  I  have  one,  ob 
tained  of  a  Brahmin  through  Mr.  Jackson.  It 
consists  of  one  hundred  and  eight  beads,  on 
which  the  name  of  Ram  used  to  be  repeated. 
Every  worshiper  is  marked  after  he  has  made 
his  offering,  so  that  you  can  see  who  has  paid 
his  daily  devotion  and  before  what  god.  The 
Vishnavas  are  marked  with  white  paint.  The 
Ramanujas  draw  two  perpendicular  white  lines 
from  the  root  of  the  hair  to  the  commencement 
of  each  eyebrow,  a  transverse  streak  across  the 
root  of  the  nose,  and  a  perpendicular  line  of  red 
in  the  center ;  they  have  also  patches  on  the 
breast  and  arm.  Some,  by  means  of  stamps  or 
cicatrization,  impress  emblems  on  their  bodies. 
The  subdivision  of  sects  are  so  numerous  that 
it  is  said  there  are  84,000,  each  founded  by  a 
Rishi.  Priests  are  numerous.  No  particular 
caste  or  special  qualifications  are  requisite  to 
either  a  priest  or  Fakir,  though  such  as  are 
Brahmins  or  Celibates  are  most  respected. 

Many    temples    are    endowed,    but,   generally, 
priests    are    supported    by    voluntary    contribu- 


2O2  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

tions ;  fees  on  occasion  of  marriages,  births,  and 
deaths  ;  offerings  to  the  manes  of  the  departed ; 
gifts  made  at  the  time  of  worship,  and  presents 
offered  by  pilgrims  at  the  celebrated  shrines. 
The  last  is  a  source  of  great  revenue.  The 
Budrinath,  alone,  is  said  to  receive  sixty  thousand 
dollars  a  year. 

The  objects  of  worship  are  innumerable.  In 
dia  is  as  full  of  reverence  as  the  world  is  of 
electricity,  and  worship  may  be  excited  in  a 
Hindoo  as  sparks  from  a  charged  and  insulated 
jar.  Having  no  knowledge  of  the  true  God, 
any  thing  may  become  god  to  them,  especially 
if  it  excite  fear,  gratitude,  or  admiration.  Some 
of  the  Sikhs  of  the  Punjab  worship  the  late 
General  Nicholson,  whose  heroism  made  them 
think  him  an  incarnation.  Before  his  death  they 
built  a  temple,  and  set  apart  a  priesthood  for 
him;  they  did  not  believe  him  when  he  denied 
that  he  was  a  divinity,  and  they  assured  him, 
when  he  flogged  their  priests,  that  they  would 
continue  his  worship  though  he  killed  them. 

When  the  faith  of  Hindoos  was  older  and 
purer  it  inspired  art  and  science.  There  still 
remain  many  monuments  of  their  creative  gen 
ius,  such  as  the  rock  temples  of  the  Deccan, 
and  on  the  island  of  Salsette.  Now  that  India's 
religion  is  degenerated,  its  science  is  reduced  to 


OUR  FIELD  IN  INDIA.  2O3 

proverbs,  and  its  art  to  mechanical  rules.  It 
must  be  admitted  that  many  of  the  temples  in 
our  field,  which  are  all  small,  are  noteworthy  for 
their  proportion,  symmetry,  and  taste,  and  con 
tain  some  good  specimens  of  carving,  especially 
in  the  delineation  of  animal  forms,  while  the 
mosques,  palaces,  and  tombs  of  Lucknow  are 
fine  monuments  of  Saracenic  skill ;  but  all  these 
are  imitations. 

Such,  then,  is  our  mission  field.  It  is  amply 
protected  by  the  civil  authorities,  so  that  life, 
limb,  and  character  are  as  secure  as  here.  It 
is  unoccupied,  save  only  at  Tyzabad  and  Luck- 
now,  by  any  other  missionary  society.  It  is 
accessible,  being  just  north  of  the  great  railway 
arch  which  spans  the  peninsula  from  Bombay 
to  Calcutta,  and  traversed  with  good  roads  and 
telegraph  lines.  It  is  inhabited  by  an  active 
and  energetic  race  of  men,  who,  in  former  ages, 
have  shown  a  capacity  for  the  highest  achieve 
ments  in  philosophy,  art,  and  song,  and  who 
are  so  thickly  settled  that  they  may  easily  be 
reached  in  masses.  It  is  healthful.  There  are 
regions  in  which  the  white  men  can  not  long 
live.  Yea,  let  the  line  of  graves  be  drawn 
around  the  globe,  but  even  then  let  the  Sav 
ior's  command  be  heeded.  Still  we  should  be 
grateful  and  cheerful  when  Providence  calls  us 


204  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

\ 

to  a  charming  and  salubrious  land.  And  In 
dia  is  healthful  enough  for  the  temperate  and 
prudent,  and  beautiful  enough  for  the  angels 
of  God. 


IX. 

VOYAGE  TO   CHINA. 

T3EFORE  leaving  Lucknow  I  witnessed  some 
JJ  feats  of  jugglery.  Performances  with  snakes, 
causing  the  ascent  of  balls  up  an  inclined  plain 
made  of  two  strings  without  any  agency,  the  pull 
ing  of  keys,  trinkets,  rings,  etc.,  from  the  mouth 
of  a  bystander,  the  putting  a  sword  down  the 
throat,  are  the  more  common  feats  of  the  juggler. 
They  none  of  them  struck  me  as  supernatural, 
though  they  were  all  difficult  to  account  for.  It 
is  said  that  the  last  is  done  by  long  practice, 
which  gradually  adapts  the  esophagus  to  the 
instrument. 

After  the  Conference  was  closed  the  preachers 
and  their  wives  sat  down  to  a  sumptuous  repast 
at  the  house  of  brother  Messmore.  Before  the 
cloth  was  removed  kindly  greetings,  of  which  the 
stranger  was  to  be  the  bearer,  were  voted  to  our 
missionaries  in  China,  and  brother  Baume  was 
requested,  at  the  expense  of  the  company,  to 
attend  me  to  Calcutta. 

205 


206  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

At  eight  o'clock  at  night  I  departed  in  a  ghary, 
in  which  was  a  bed  arranged  for  brother  B.  and 
myself.  Next  morning  we  arrived  at  Cawnpore, 
but  being  too  late  for  the  train  we  rested  for  a 
time  at  the  tavern,  and  here  we  heard  the  grati 
fying  news  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  re-election,  which 
produced  a  shout  inside.  At  5,  P.  M.,  we  are  off 
for  Calcutta,  and  at  12  midnight  we  reach  Alla 
habad,  where  the  train  stops  until  2,  P.  M.  The 
trains  run  at  night  to  avoid  the  heat  of  the  day. 
In  the  leading  cities  taverns  are  found,  which  are 
conducted  in  English  fashion.  Here  we  stop  at 
Brown's.  Stay  in  hotel,  rs.  1.8;  breakfast,  1.8; 
tiffin,  hot,  1.8;  do.,  cold,  i.o.o;  dinner,  2 ;  board 
and  lodging,  per  day,  rs.  5  ;  chota  hazeree,  rs. 
i  ;  meals,  in  room,  rs.  I  extra ;  tea,  per  cup,  rs. 
0.4.0;  coffee,  0.4.0;  cherry  cordial,  pint,  rs.  2.8; 
spirits,  per  glass,  rs.  0.4.0 ;  wines,  rs.  0.8.0 ;  soda 
water,  per  bottle,  0.4.0;  lemonade,  rs.  0.6.0;  tonic 
water,  rs.  0.8.0;  Champagne,  rs.  5.8.0;  Claret,  rs. 
3.0.0;  Sherry,  3.8.0;  brandy,  rs.  4.0.0;  beer,  rs. 
i;  porter,  rs.  i.o.o ;  Port  Wine,  rs.  4.0.0;  Old 
Tom,  rs.  4.0.0 ;  gin,  per  square,  large,  rs.  4.0.0 ; 
a  carriage  and  pair  per  day,  rs.  8.0.0 ;  a  carriage 
and  horse,  rs.  6.0.0  ;  a  buggy  and  horse,  rs.  5.0.0 ; 
billiards  and  bagatelle.  Surely,  a  Christian  civ 
ilized  man  can  find  in  such  a  place  a  supply  for 
all  his  physical  necessities. 


VOYAGE   TO   CHINA.  2QJ 

At  twelve  we  are  off  for  Calcutta,  but  it  is  two 
o'clock  before  we  reach  the  station  on  the  other 
side  of  the  Jumna.  At  present  it  is  difficult  to 
get  freight  up  and  down  from  the  station  to  the 
stream.  This  is  done  by  coolies,  who  manage  to 
convey  the  heaviest  loads  by  means  of  bamboos, 
and  are  marched  by  the  officials  like  a  little  army. 

At  Mogul  Serai  two  men,  representing  them 
selves  as  guards  of  the  railroad,  and  belonging  to 
the  Dinapore  station,  came  into  our  carriage,  or 
car,  one  of  them  so  drunk  that  he  could  not 
stand.  It  was  said  that  he  had  been  to  court  as 
a  witness  but  was  too  much  intoxicated  to  tes 
tify.  Intemperance  is  very  common  among  the 
Europeans  in  India,  and  the  use  of  intoxicating 
beverages  almost  universal.  This  diminishes  the 
influence  of  missionaries  over  the  natives. 

Riding  along,  we  see  large  quantities  of  cotton 
and  rice  on  the  way  to  market.  Men  in  the  ele 
vated  fields  are  gathering  the  rice  crop,  others 
in  the  lowlands  are  sowing  rice  for  another 
season. 

At  8  o'clock,  P.  M.,  next  day,  we  arrive  at 
Calcutta,  where,  according  to  previous  arrange 
ment,  I  put  up  at  Mr.  Remfrey's.  Mr.  R.  is  a 
jeweler,  who  has. long  resided  in  India.  Mrs.  R. 
is  the  daughter  of  the  late  Rev.  Mr.  Young,  ex- 
President  of  the  British  Conference.  She  had 


208  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

just  returned  from  England,  bringing  with  her 
three  brides,  one  for  each  of  the  Wesleyan 
preachers  here,  and  one,  a  daughter  of  the  "Suc 
cessful  Merchant,"  for  a  Mr.  Meakins. 

On  Sabbath  morning  following,  attended  the 
Wesleyan  service.  Mr.  Highfield  preached.  He 
is  stationed  at  Barrackpore;  his  colleague,  Mr. 
Broadbent,  resides  here,  but  they  exchange.  Mr. 
H.  wears  the  gown  and  bands,  reads  the  English 
service,  and  gives  the  people  a  brief  discourse 
from  manuscript.  I  preached  in  the  evening. 
The  imitation  of  the  English  Church  seemed  to 
me  unfortunate.  When  you  invite  comparison 
and  do  not  excel  your  rival,  you  fall  pitiably  low. 
If  men  want  Episcopalianism  they  will  go  to 
head-quarters  for  it.  There  is  no  room  for  an 
other  Episcopal  Church,  but  there  is  plenty  of 
room  for  a  downright  Methodist  one.  The  Wes- 
leyans  here  are  but  beginning.  They  worship  in 
a  hired  room,  have  but  a  bare  dozen  of  mem 
bers,  and  but  a  few  hearers.  They  have,  how 
ever,  purchased  a  site  for  ,£14,000,  and  expect  to 
borrow  .£5,000  of  the  Missionary  Society  to  put 
up  a  building.  They  receive  200  rupees  a  month, 
but  pay  130  of  it  for  their  hall.  The  preachers 
are  respectable  men,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that 
many  families,  like  Mr.  Remfrey's,  out  of  respect 
to  the  religion  of  their  fathers,  will  cleave  to  them. 


VOYAGE   TO   CHINA.  2CX) 

The  Wesleyans  have  not  invaded  Northern 
India,  but  are  confined  chiefly  to  Ceylon,  Mad 
ras,  and  the  Mysore.  In  the  cool  of  the  evening 
it  is  customary  to  take  a  walk  upon  the  house 
top.  Here  tea  is  served,  while  you  stand  or  sit 
enjoying  a  view  of  the  city,  and  the  peculiar 
orange  tinge  of  an  Indian  sunset. 

The  mosquitoes  are  very  troublesome.  The 
temperature  is  75  degrees  Fahrenheit  at  midday, 
and  is  but  little  below  that  in  the  morning  or 
evening.  While  here  I  met  with  two  of  the 
missionaries  of  the  United  Presbyterians  on  their 
way  home  from  Lahore.  Inquiring  as  to  their 
support  I  learned  that  they  received,  when  on 
duty,  135  rupees  a  month. 

Mr.  Broadbent  tells  me  that  he  has  a  small 
congregation  of  Madras  Christians  under  his 
care.  They  worship  apart  from  the  whites,  but 
commune  with  them.  The  prejudice  against 
color  is  as  great  as  it  is  in  America.  An  En 
glishman  would  lose  caste  at  once,  and  probably 
be  disowned  by  his  relatives,  if  he  were  to  marry 
a  native  or  even  a  Eurasian.  Not  a  word  was 
said  to  me  against  slavery  here,  and  some  dis 
appointment  was  manifested  when  I  declared 


against  it. 


Mr     Jacobs,    our    Consul-General,    was    kind 

enough  to  call  and  take  me  out  for  a  ride  upon 
A  14 


2IO  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

the  strand.  Mrs.  Remfrey  invited  Dr.  Mullens 
to  take  tea  with  me,  but  he  was  out  of  town. 
The  Governor-General  invited  me  to  dine  with 
him.  He  was  remarkably  pleasant.  I  gave  him 
an  opportunity  of  discussing  the  subject  of  our 
war  by  remarking  that  in  the  Indian  mutiny 
Americans  sympathized  with  England,  but  that 
in  the  American  rebellion  England  did  not  recip 
rocate  our  sympathy.  He  replied,  "In  the  begin 
ning  of  the  war  Englishmen  generally  took  the 
part  of  the  North,  but  in  the  progress  of  the  strug 
gle  they  had  veered  round."  When  I  referred  to 
the  election  of  Mr.  Lincoln,  and  observed  that 
foreign  nations  had  not  done  him  justice,  that  he 
was  a  man  of  wonderful  sagacity,  he  replied, 
"  Well,  if  Mr.  L.  has  made  some  mistakes  we 
should  not  blame  him,  for  he  has  not  been  upon 
a  bed  of  roses."  He  maintains  that  the  Sepoy 
mutiny  originated  in  the  offense  given  to  caste 
by  the  greased  cartridges ;  caste  and  religion  be 
ing  identical  with  the  Hindoo.  Sir  John  is  evi 
dently  a  great  man,  a  wise  ruler,  and  a  true 
patriot,  and  he  is  universally  admired.  He  should 
be  all  this,  for  his  position  is  one  of  immense 
power  and  influence. 

In  regard  to  missions  his  opinion  is  that  we 
can  do  little  with  the  adult  population.  W^iile 
multitudes  of  them  have  lost  faith  in  their  relig- 


VOYAGE    TO   CHINA.  211 

ion,  few  will  apostatize.  Our  hope  is  in  the 
children. 

December  2ist  I  embarked  on  the  Thunder. 
She  is  one  of  the  vessels  which  the  cyclone  cast 
high  and  dry  upon  the  shore,  and  she  had  just 
been  refitted  for  sea.  Being  late  in  getting  oft' 
we  anchor  for  the  night  at  Garden  Reach,  within 
sight  of  the  palace  of  the  late  king  of  Oude. 
He  lives  in  fine  style,  and  although  he  receives 
thirteen  lacs  of  rupees  per  annum  he  is  half  a 
million  in  debt.  He  is  exceedingly  wasteful,  and 
it  is  said  he  has  been  known  to  pay  ^500  for  a 
bird.  Our  passengers  are  few;  some  of  them 
Armenian  Christians  from  the  neighborhood  of 
Mt.  Ararat,  some  Jews  from  Bagdad.  Of  Arme 
nians,  there  are  said  to  be  300  families  in  Cal 
cutta.  As  we  proceed  down  the  bay  the  north 
east  monsoon  blows,  giving  us  a  beam  wind,  and 
keeping  all  passengers  from  the  table  but  myself. 
Our  sailors  are  Lascars,  and  speak  Bengali. 
They  lie  down,  wherever  they  may  be  when  their 
time  of  rest  comes,  and  sleep.  It  is  a  singular 
sight  to  see  servants  sleeping  by  day  in  the  halls, 
gateways,  parks,  and  even  sidewalks  of  Indian 
cities,  sometimes  under  a  broiling  sun.  When 
ever  an  Indian  has  a  few  moments  to  spare  he 
spends  it  in  this  way. 

The  navigation  of  the  Hoogly  is  very  danger- 


212  OUR   ORIENTAL   MISSIONS. 

ous.  India  has  no  good  harbors  but  Calcutta, 
and  that  can  not  be  approached  without  a  hun 
dred  miles  of  perilous  sailing.  Pulo  Penang  and 
Singapore  are  excellent  harbors,  and  accessible 
at  all  times. 

On  Sabbath  the  crew  is  mustered  to  see  that 
all  are  present ;  they  appear  neat  and  clean ; 
some  of  them  are  in  showy  garments.  They 
have  but  one  name  apiece,  and  that  is  usually 
short.  Several  of  them  had  come  on  board  as 
substitutes  for  others,  and  had  forgotten  the 
names  to  which  they  had  originally  answered, 
which  caused  embarrassment  to  them  and  amuse 
ment  to  us.  Lascars  are  fast  taking  the  place 
of  European  sailors  in  these  seas  ;  they  are  obe 
dient,  submissive,  and  cheap.  The  change  is 
attended  with  some  friction. 

A  number  of  European  sailors  being  out  of 
employment  at  Hong  Kong,  attacked  and  de 
stroyed  the  boarding  houses  of  their  Malay  rivals. 
When  the  police  came  to  produce  order,  the 
soldiers  re-enforced  the  disturbers,  and  a  serious 
row  ensued. 

The  Lascars  are  very  devotional  at  times,  but 
often  sportive.  It  is  amusing  to  see  them  wash 
ing  each  other  with  the  hose  after  the  decks  are 
cleaned. 

Our  crew  consists  of  fifty  seamen,  thirty-five 


VOYAGE    TO  CHINA.  21$ 

firemen,  and  eight  or  ten  cooks  and  waiters, 
The  steersmen  are  from  Manilla,  the  gig  men 
from  China,  the  firemen  from  Chittagong,  the 
rest  from  Bengal,  except  a  few  from  Muscat  in 
Arabia.  All  are  Mussulmans,  except  the  Chinese, 
who  are  Buddhists,  and  the  cooks,  who  are  Chris 
tians — Catholics.  The  officers  are  English. 

I  preached  to  the  Captain,  first  and  second 
mates,  engineer,  and  three  passengers — about  all 
on  board  who  understood  English.  I  asked  the 
Captain  if  he  had  prayers  when  he  had  no 
clergymen.  "No,"  said  he,  "we.  so  habitually 
violate  Divine  Law  that  it  would  seem  like 
hypocrisy." 

At  Christmas  dinner  we  had  a  cake  festooned 
with  flowers,  surmounted  by  an  image  of  Santa 
Claus,  and  surrounded  by  bottles  of  Champagne 
and  the  usual  dishes  of  turkey  and  plum-pud 
ding.  Our  vessel  is  an  opium  steamer.  There 
are  two  lines  of  these  steamers  running  in  con 
nection — the  one  conveying  the  sales  of  one 
month,  the  other  those  of  the  next.  We  have 
on  board  2,500  chests,  each  weighing  250  pounds 
gross.  We  are  to  leave  forty-two  chests  at  Pe- 
nang  for  the  local  consumption.  Opium  is  pro 
duced  in  India  in  increasing  quantities,  and  the 
demand  for  it  is  extending  over  the  East.  The 
Government  advertises  5,355  chests  for  sale  each 


214  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

month  of  the  year  1865,  except  December,  when 
the  sales  are  to  be  5,362.  This  is  an  increase 
on  the  sales  of  1864,  and  a  great  increase  on 
those  of  1863.  The  opium  sold  at  Calcutta  is 
chiefly  from  the  districts  of  Bahar  and  Benares, 
of  which  the  last  is  generally  preferred.  Each 
chest  contains  a  ticket  giving  an  analysis  of  its 
contents,  and  a  warrant  of  them  signed  by  a 
Government  officer.  Formerly  the  price  of 
opium  fluctuated  much,  and  there  was  great 
gambling  in  it,  but  latterly  the  price  has  been 
firmly  maintained.  It  is  now  worth  about  $510 
a  chest,  at  Hong  Kong.  Budaon,  the  seat  of 
one  of  our  missions,  is  in  the  opium  district. 
The  process  of  raising  it  is  simple.  The  cap 
sules  of  the  poppy  being  cut,  the  opium  oozes 
out,  and  is  gathered  and  sold  without  much 
preparation.  The  Government  monopolizes  the 
business ;  it  allows  no  one  to  raise  it  without  a 
license.  It  pays  five  rupees  for  two  pounds,  and 
sells  it  at  a  great  advance,  thus  keeping  up  the 
revenue.  Many  natives  have  conscience  enough 
to  refuse  to  raise  the  drug. 

These  opium  vessels  bring  back,  as  their  re 
turn  cargo,  besides  money,  English  bale  goods, 
spices,  camphor,  etc. 

The  coal  used  by  these  ships  is  English. 
Bengal  coal  is  inferior  and  bulky.  The  coal  on 


VOYAGE   TO   CHINA.  21$ 

the  island  of  Labuon  is  excellent,  and  yet  the 
company  owning  it  can  not  compete  with  the 
English  in  the  Eastern  markets. 

A  part  of  our  cargo  is  a  flock  of  sheep.  It  is 
said  these  animals  can  not  be  raised  at  Singapore, 
though  they  easily  fatten  there.  ^The  shepherds 
attending  them  on  shipboard  water  each  with  a 
bottle,  which  is  said  to  be  necessary  in  order  that 
each  may  have  his  portion. 

These  vessels  must  be  profitable.  They  get 
twenty-five  rupees  for  each  chest  of  opium  they 
carry,  plus  one  rupee  returned  as  brokerage. 
The  return  cargo  also  pays  well. 

And  now  we  are  at  anchor  in  Penan g,  extend 
ing  from  latitude  50  degrees,  longitude  100  de 
grees.  It  is  about  fifteen  miles  long,  with  an 
average  breadth  of  twelve  miles,  with  an  area  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty  square  miles.  There  are 
perhaps  ten  thousand  acres  in  fruit-trees,  ten 
thousand  in  paddy  fields,  and  from  seven  to  ten 
thousand  in  spices,  nutmegs,  cloves,  etc.  There 
is  a  mountain  range  of  granite  in  the  center  of 
the  island,  with  level  plains  on  each  side,  bor 
dered  on  the  shore  with  cocoa-nut-trees.  The 
pine  and  the  butter-nut  flourish  ;  tin  is  found  in 
the  mountains  ;  its  exports  of  spices,  cotton,  to- 
.bacco,  coffee,  sugar,  and  rice  amount  annually  to 
two  or  three  million  dollars.  Horned  cattle  and 


2l6  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

pigs  are  raised  to  advantage  here.  The  seasons 
scarcely  exhibit  any  change,  the  thermometer 
seldom  rising  above  90  or  falling  below  80  de 
grees  Fahrenheit  at  midday.  Flowers,  and  fruits, 
and  fragrance  are  perennial,  and  the  earth  is  as 
beautiful  in  December  as  in  May.  By  ascending 
the  hills  you  get  a  cooler  temperature  by  ten 
degrees.  Our  common  vegetables,  such  as  the 
potato  and  cabbage,  can  not  be  raised.  The  peo 
ple  would  gladly  exchange  pine-apples  for  pota 
toes  in  equal  quantities.  A  strange  disease  has 
overtaken  the  clove  and  nutmeg  trees,  and  they 
are  fast  dying.  The  island  was  purchased  by 
Great  Britain  of  Captain  Light,  who  received  it 
as  a  marriage  portion  with  his  wife,  the  daughter 
of  the  king  of  Queda,  and  here  is  a  British  fort 
with  a  regiment  of  Sepoys.  Georgetown,  the 
port,  is  the  capital  and  seat  of  government  of  the 
strait's  settlement.  It  contains  a  population  of 
2,200.  The  island,  with  a  strip  on  the  main 
land  opposite,  of  which  the  English  have  the 
sovereignty,  contains  about  100,000.  The  Brit 
ish,  though  the  rulers,  are  few.  The  original 
inhabitants  are  Malays,  but  since  the  island  fell 
under  British  rule  Hindostanese,  Burmese,  Siam 
ese,  and  above  all,  Chinese,  have  entered  in.  The 
last  are  generally  merchants,  manufacturers,  and 
mechanics.  They  frequently  marry  into  Malay 


VOYAGE    TO    CHINA.  2 1/ 

families,  and  from  this  union  the  more  industri 
ous  and  honest  citizens  arise.  The  Malays  form 
the  lowest  stratum  of  society,  the  Chinese  the 
highest,  the  Indian  the  middle  class.  The  last 
are  usually  coolies  from  Madras,  who  are  at 
tracted  by  high  wages — thirteen  cents  a  day — 
and  after  laying  up  money  usually  return  to  In 
dia  to  enjoy  it.  The  European  population,  though 
small,  consists  of  representatives  from  many  na 
tions,  English,  Dutch,  Portuguese,  and  French. 
The  Malay  language  is  the  Lingua  Franca  of  the 
East.  It  is  soft  and  to  a  great  extent  monosyl 
labic.  The  people  are  fond  of  figures  of  speech ; 
thus,  the  sun  is  the  eye  of  day,  the  police  officer, 
the  man  of  eyes.  The  Catholics  have  here  a 
bishop,  a  cathedral,  and  a  number  of  priests, 
some  of  whom  spend  their  lives  in  self-denying 
labors  in  the  jungle,  and  of  course  make  progress 
among  the  people.  I  was  told  that  the  Church 
of  England  minister  is  of  the  Colenso  school. 
The  London  Missionary  Society  had  a  station 
here,  but  upon  the  opening  of  China  they  aban 
doned  it.  Germans  occupied  the  abandoned  sta 
tion  until  death  carried  them  off.  The  premises 
are  now  in  the  hands  of  Mr.  Chapman,  of  Bris 
tol,  who,  with  Mr.  Grant,  is  preaching  and  carry 
ing  on  an  orphanage  on  Mr.  Miiller's  plan. 
Thus  far,  he  says,  the  Lord  has  sustained  him. 


2l8  OUR   ORIENTAL   MISSIONS. 

He  professes  to  be  of  no  sect,  though  he  evi 
dently  sympathizes  with  the  Plymouth  brethren. 
Mr.  Bain,  our  consul  at  Penang,  was  very  polite, 
and  took  me  to  his  house  for  dinner.  Here,  on 
the  29th  of  December,  we  have  peas  and  as 
paragus  with  our  meats,  water-melons  and  plan 
tains  with  our  dessert. 

The  Armenian  Church  is  very  powerful,  widely 
extended,  and  greatly  influential.  It  is  found  in 
all  the  great  cities  of  Asia  Minor,  Egypt,  India, 
China,  and  the  eastern  islands.  Its  members  are 
generally  merchants,  and  are  often  men  of  wealth, 
talents,  and  enterprise.  They  are  not  Protestant, 
though  they  are  separated  from  the  Greek  Church 
in  consequence  of  the  accidental  absence  of  their 
Bishop  from  the  Council  of  Chalcedon,  whose  de 
crees  they  never  received.  A  majority  of  the 
Church,  as  early  as  the  sixth  century,  adopted 
monophysite  views.  They  insert  four  apocryphal 
books  among  their  canonical ;  namely,  the  his 
tory  of  Joseph  and  Asenath,  and  the  Testament 
of  the  Twelve  Patriarchs,  which  they  add  to  the 
Old  Testament,  and  the  Epistle  of  the  Corinthi 
ans  to  St.  Paul,  and  the  third  Epistle  of  Paul  to 
the  Corinthians  to  the  New. 

With  some  of  the  Armenians  on  board  we 
have  free  conversation.  They  say  their  creed 
differs  in  nothing  essential  from  that  of  the 


VOYAGE    TO    CHINA.  2ig 

Greek  Church.  When  asked  why  they  do  not 
return  to  it,  they  reply,  "  We  have  no  means  of 
preserving  our  nationality  but  by  our  religion  and 
language."  They  claim  that  the  country  origin 
ally  extending  from  the  east  side  of  the  Euphra 
tes  to  the  Koordistan  Mountains,  was  the  primi 
tive  seat  of  the  human  race,  and  that  their 
language  was  that  of  Adam,  and  they  bring 
many  arguments  for  this  opinion.  They  say 
their  people  embraced  Christianity  under  the  la 
bors  of  St.  Bartholomew  and  St.  Thaddeus  of 
the  apostolic  college.  They,  after  having  suffered 
a  gradual  religious  declension,  in  the  year  318 
religion  was  revived  among  them  under  the  la 
bors  of  an  apostle  of  their  own,  St.  Gregory. 
Armenians  now  claim  three  millions,  of  whom 
perhaps  ten  thousand  are  scattered  abroad,  the 
rest  are  in  their  primitive  seats,  Georgia,  Persia, 
and  Armenia.  Like  the  Poles,  they  are  parti 
tioned  between  three  great  empires,  the  Russian, 
Persian,  and  Turkish.  They  are  somewhat  su 
perstitious,  and  lay  great  stress  upon  the  fasts  of 
Wednesday  and  Friday.  They  are  governed  ec 
clesiastically  by  a  Patriarch.  The  Patriarch  ap 
points  the  Archbishops — one  at  Jerusalem  and 
one  at  Constantinople — as  well  as  the  bishops 
and  the  prelates  of  Julpha,  who  control  the  Ar 
menian  Churches  of  the  East.  At  that  place  is 


220  OUR    ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

a  college  of  priests.  These  are  sent  out  to  the 
Churches  of  Bombay,  Calcutta,  Penang,  Singa 
pore,  Batavia,  etc.  They  go  without  their  fami 
lies,  and  remain  five  years,  when  they  return  to 
their  homes  and  others  are  sent  out  in  their 
places.  Although  the  Churches  have  no  voice  in 
the  selection  of  their  pastors  they  are  well  pleased 
with  the  itinerancy.  As  the  compensation  in 
their  Churches  is  unequal  an  effort  is  made  to 
equalize  by  sending  a  clergyman  whose  last  ap 
pointment  was  poor  to  a  good  one,  and  vice 
versa.  In  two  instances,  namely,  at  Penang  and 
Calcutta,  this  itinerancy  was  recently  interfered 
with,  but  in  both  cases,  the  interference  being 
injurious,  was  abandoned  and  regretted.  The 
Church  at  Penang  consists  of  only  one  family, 
Mr.  Anthony's,  and  pays  fifty  rupees  a  month 
besides  furnishing  house  and  servant  for  the 
priest.  The  Church  at  Batavia  is  rich  ;  hence, 
formerly,  the  priest  sent  to  Penang  after  remain 
ing  at  Penang  three  years  was  sent  to  Batavia 
to  spend  the  remaining  two  years  of  his  term. 
The  Church  of  Calcutta  being  rich  a  pastor  so 
licited  and  obtained  a  permanent  settlement,  but, 
growing  proud  and  arrogant,  insulted  his  supe 
rior  and  was  excommunicated.  The  compensa 
tion  allowed  the  priests  of  Calcutta  is  2,400 
rupees  a  year,  $1,200  each.  They  reside  in  the 


VOYAGE    TO   CHINA.  221 

church,  and  are  three  in  number.  The  Arme 
nians  are  liberal.  The  Church  at  Calcutta,  for 
instance,  disburses*  400  rupees  a  month  to  the 
poor  from  property  received  by  will.  They  often 
endow  their  churches.  As  we  entered  Singapore 
it  rained  so  copiously  as  to  interfere  with  our 
view  of  its  magnificent  harbor.  The  shores  of 
the  mainland  and  the  beautiful  islands,  both  those 
off  the  coast  of  Sumatra  and  those  to  the  south 
of  Singapore,  are  charming.  They  do  not  expe 
rience  the  droughts  from  which  England  suffers, 
but  enjoy  frequent  rains,  so  that  their  surface  all 
the  year  round  is  like  an  English  lawn  in  Spring. 
Going  on  shore  I  called  upon  Mr.  Stone,  the 
American  consul,  who  gave  me  a  note  to  Rev. 
Mr.  Keasbury.  Getting  into  a  cab  I  drove 
through  the  city,  which  has  an  appearance  of 
bustle  and  thrift ;  the  Chinese  being  both  mer 
chants  and  mechanics ;  the  stores  and  the  shops 
of  the  artisans  were  side  by  side  ;  the  barbers 
were  at  work  out-of-doors  ;  the  cocks  were  crow 
ing  in  the  stores,  and  pigs  were  exposed  for  sale 
in  baskets.  The  surface  of  the  country,  its  hedge 
rows,  its  trees,  and  its  gardens  were  beautifully 
green.  Many  of  the  coolies  were  seen  at  work, 
naked  from  the  umbilicus  upward  and  from  the 
thighs  downward.  The  Madrasses,  or  Klings,  as 
they  are  called,  are  the  boatmen  and  the  most 


222  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

industrious  of  the  laborers.  They  have  a  dislike 
to  their  rivals,  the  Chinese,  which  gives  rise  to 
frequent  rows  between  them.* 

Mr.  Keasbury  was  one  of  the  missionaries  of 
the  London  Missionary  Society.  When  it  or 
dered  its  forces  here  to  China  he  determined  to 
remain,  and  for  fifteen  years  he  has  been  labor 
ing  on  his  own  account,  sustained  by  local  sub 
scriptions.  I  judge,  however,  that  Protestantism 
has  nothing  of  importance  here.  New- Year's  on 
shipboard  was  ushered  in  by  ringing  the  bells, 
shouting,  laughing,  frolicking,  which  commencing 
on  the  quarter-deck  was  soon  removed  to  the 
main  deck  and  afterward  the  forecastle.  The 
passengers  had  all  left ;  the  rain  descended  in 
torrents  ;  the  ship  took  in  freight  all  day,  although 
it  was  Sabbath  ;  it  was  too  inclement  to  be  on 
deck,  too  dark  to  read,  and  there  was  no  one  to 
converse  with ;  the  rain  coming  through  the  sky 
light  drove  me  to  my  state-room. 

The  Christians  have  some  good  churches  in 
Singapore,  nor  are  they  altogether  inactive.  The 
Ladies'  Bible  Society  distributes  a  large  number 
of  Bibles  and  tracts,  but  their  operations,  al 
though  extended  over  the  Indian  Ocean  from 
Borneo  to  Ceylon,  and  from  Bali  to  Siam,  and 
embracing  English,  Spanish,  Portuguese,  Dutch, 
Tamil,  Malay,  Hindostani,  Teloogoo,  and  Boo- 


VOYAGE    TO    CHINA.  22  3 

gese   beneficiaries,   do   not    cost   over   $1,300  a 
year. 

Now  near  the  equator,  the  north  star  is  out 
of  sight,  the  southern  cross  in  view.  We  are  off. 
The  wind  is  high  and  contrary ;  the  white  waves 
dash  against  the  shores  of  Sumatra,  Malacca,  and 
especially  Bintang  and  the  reef  of  rocks  extend 
ing  from  it  to  the  light-house.  The  rain  pours 
down.  My  boots  being  so  wet  that  I  could  not 
get  them  on  I  borrowed  a  pair  of  the  captain 
and  ventured  on  deck  when  the  rain  relaxed,  but, 
having  left  my  port-hole  open,  when  I  returned  I 
found  my  bed,  bedding,  books,  hat-box,  and  trunk 
saturated.  Day  after  day  might  be  written  rough, 
rougher,  roughest.  The  "Thunder"  bears  up 
nobly  against  the  monsoon.  The  waves  roll 
over  the  quarter-deck  ;  one  can  take  no  exercise ; 
the  ports  being  closed  the  air  of  the  cabin  is 
impure ;  the  ship  is  filled,  even  the  state-rooms, 
with  opium,  fish,  and  melted  ghee,  part  of  which 
is  rancid.  The  small-pox  appears  among  the 
sailors,  and  the  sick  man,  in  order  to  prevent  the 
spread  of  the  disease,  was  brought  into  the  cabin 
and  placed  in  a  state-room  near  mine ;  we  have 
no  physician  on  board ;  the  thermometer  stands 
steadily  at  85  degrees  Fahrenheit.  On  we  go 
through  the  Palawan  Pass,  with  shoals  and  break 
ers  on  both  sides.  Now  and  then  we  see  the 


224  OUR    ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

sun,  but  the  clouds  return  after  the  rain.  At 
length  the  storm  seems  to  do  its  worst.  The 
jib-boom  is  carried  away ;  the  figure-head  is 
clashed  to  pieces  ;  the  cry  of  a  man  overboard 
pierces  our  ears ;  the  frightened  Lascars  cry 
Allah !  allah !  and  throw  a  life-preserver,  but  the 
man  misses  it ;  the  captain  runs  astern,  and  with 
encouraging  words  throws  a  rope;  at  the  lucky 
moment  when  the  ship  lurches  the  sailor  seizes  it 
and  is  saved.  A  moment  more  he  had  been  lost ; 
for  no  boat  could  have  lived  a  minute  in  the  sea. 

Passing  the  Royal  Charlotte  Shoals  the  sea 
abated,  but  a  ring  around  the  moon  portended  a 
renewal  of  the  storm. 

On  Sabbath  we  had  service  in  the  cabin  by 
my  urgent  solicitation.  A  few  officers  of  the 
boat  attended. 

Now  we  are  in  the  Palawan  Straits,  with  shoals 
on  each  side  of  us.  Three  sailors  are  on  the 
yards  of  the  foremast  all  day,  looking  out  for 
breakers,  and  we  frequently  stop  for  soundings. 
My  head,  which  was  bruised  against  the  guards, 
and  my  arm,  which  was  skinned  against  my 
berth,  begin  to  feel  better. 

We  carry  cannon  as  a  protection  against  pi 
rates,  who  are  partly  Chinese  and  partly  Malays. 
The  northern  coast  of  Borneo  is  a  great  resort 
for  them.  Sir  James  Brooke's  settlement  at  Sara- 


VOYAGE    TO   CHINA.  22$ 

nac  has  done  great  service  in  putting  them  down. 
He  keeps  a  gun-boat,  which  sails  to  Singapore 
semi-monthly,  and  which  sometimes -pursues  dep 
redators,  though  it  receives  no  reward  for  its  serv 
ice.  On  one  of  these  occasions,  we  are  told,  the 
Bishop  of  Labuan  was  on  board  and  did  good 
execution  with  his  rifle.  These  pirates  usually 
sell  their  native  prisoners  into  slavery,  but  kill 
their  British.  The  British  Government  should 
take  Sir  James  Brooke's  settlement  under  its 
protection. 

We  have  probably  made  a  mistake  in  sailing 
by  the  Pass ;  we  could  hardly  have  had  worse 
weather  by  the  direct  route,  which  would  have 
been  five  hundred  miles  shorter. 

Four  more  sailors  fall  sick.  The  sailor  and 
blacksmith  are  extemporizing  a  jib-boom.  The 
storm  having  abated  we  set  the  spanker  and  tri- 
sail  to  steady  the  ship.  Now  we  are  in  sight 
of  Mandaro  and  several  other  of  the  Philippine 
islands. 

The  captain  one  evening,  having  caught  one 
of  his  Lascars  smoking  opium,  captures  his  pipe, 
lamp  box,  etc.,  and  notifies  him  that  he  can  not 
allow  the  practice,  because  it  renders  the  men 
useless,  subjects  the  ship  to  great  expense;  for 
when  the  stock  of  opium  gives  out  the  smokers 
can  be  kept  alive  only  by  expensive  medicines, 
A  15 


226  OUR    ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

such  as  camphor,  and  exposes  the  smokers  to 
great  temptation,  especially  when  in  loading  or 
unloading  a  chest  is  broken  and  the  balls  spilled. 

As  we  get  near  to  Manilla  we  have  a  clear 
clay  and  a  glorious  sunset. 

Long  confinement,  bad  air,  resulting  from  the 
cargo  and  the  sick  room,  and  depression  of  spir 
its  began  to  take  away  my  appetite  and  disorder 
my  system.  The  table,  at  the  same  time,  grew 
less  inviting;  the  red  ants  were  in  the  bread; 
they  crept  out  of  the  rice,  the  sugar,  the  nuts ; 
they  crawled  over  the  plates  and  the  cloth,  the 
floors  and  the  berths. 

Now  we  are  abreast  Manilla.  We  coast  the 
Island  of  Luzon  nearly  all  day,  charmed  with  the 
beautiful  shores,  the  green  and  luxurious  vegeta 
tion,  and  the  hills  in  the  distance. 

Having  passed  the  island  the  storm  rages 
afresh.  Sails  are  torn,  crockery  broken,  rain, 
wind,  horrors  on  horrors,  darkness,  thick  dark 
ness!  Next  day  storm  continues  without  abate 
ment.  Toward  noon  tripsail  and  topsail  are  up 
but  reefed,  and  the  wind  is  bearing  us  at  eleven 
knots  an  hour,  and  promises  to  bring  us  to  port 
at  4,  P.  M.  But  now  the  wind  veers  and  the 
storm  increases.  Four  o'clock  comes  and  no 
land  in  sight ;  five  o'clock,  and  no  land ;  six,  and 
no  land.  We  spend  the  night  outside  the  harbor 


VOYAGE    TO   CHINA.  22  / 

waiting  for  the  clay.  Morning  comes  and  by  nine 
o'clock  we  are  ready  to  land.  I  was  the  only 
passenger.  As  I  stepped  into  the  Chinese  boat 
all  alone  the  coolies  got  into  a  quarrel  over  me, 
and  accidentally  threw  me  down  and  hurt  me, 
but  not  seriously.  I  could  not  remonstrate,  for  I 
knew  not  Chinese,  and  could  only  use  my  cane. 
Having  landed  I  cried  out  "Oriental,"  and  was 
soon  piloted  thither ;  coolies  carrying  my  lug 
gage  behind  me.  Calling  for  a  room  I  was  shown 
into  a  narrow  apartment  without  furniture,  save 
a  bed,  table,  and  chair.  It  had  a  hole  for  a  win 
dow  near  the  ceiling  and  eight  small  panes  of 
glass,  equal  to  about  two  of  our  common  ones. 
I  called  for  chicken  broth,  but  what  was  brought 
me  was  more  like  brine  than  broth.  I  sent  for  a 
physician,  but  his  prescription  was  unfortunate. 
The  mail  was  to  go  to  Foo  Chow  at  eight  o'clock, 
but  I  was  unable  to  go.  Wrote  to  Mr.  Conger, 
American  Consul,  but  he  had  gone  to  Macao. 
As  a  last  resort  dropped  a  line  to  Rev.  Dr. 
Legge,  who  kindly  called  and  took  me  to  his 
house.  Next  day  being  Sabbath,  went  to  church 
and  heard  Dr.  Legge  in  the  morning.  He  an 
nounced  me  for  the  night,  but  I  was  unable  to 
fill  the  appointment.  Dr.  Kane  was  called  in 
to  see  me,  and  pronounced  that  I  was  sinking 
from  fatigue  and  want  of  nourishment.  Next 


228  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

day  went  in  a  chair  to  the  Consulate,  the  public 
gardens,  the  terraces  overlooking  the  harbor,  and 
returned  fatigued  but  better.  In  a  few  days,  un 
der  the  good  management  of  Dr.  Kane  and  the 
kind  treatment  of.  Dr.  Legge's  excellent  Chris 
tian  family,  I  was  able  to  start  for  Foo  Chow  by 
the  Undine.  I  did  not  leave  until  I  had  called 
upon  the  chaplain,  Dr.  Irvine,  a  jaunt  of  four 
miles,  and  taken  a  general  survey  of  the  city. 
Bishop  Smith,  of  the  English  Church,  has  gone 
home  discouraged.  He  was  a  weak  man ;  for  he 
refused  to  serve  as  Vice-President  of  an  Asiatic 
Society  because  it  put  Dr.  Legge  upon  a  par 
with  him.  Some  years  since  the  chaplaincy  of 
Victoria  was  exchanged  for  a  parish  in  Hamp 
shire.  The  Hampshire  incumbent,  being  uncom 
fortable,  was  glad  to  get  safely  out  of  England, 
while  the  colonial  chaplain,  having  got  tired  of 
the  East,  would  have  been  glad  to  get  back  with 
out  a  parish,  and  doubly  glad  to  get  back  with 
one.  There  was  no  power  to  unsettle  the  ar 
rangement  after  it  had  received  the  sanction  of 
Government. 

The  missions  here  are,  first,  Dr.  Legge's.  It 
has  one  hundred  members,  many  of  them  in  good 
circumstances,  and  three  preaching  places ;  sec 
ond,  the  Church  Mission,  which  has  fifty  mem 
bers  ;  third,  the  German  or  Basle  Missions,  say 


VOYAGE    TQ  CHINA.  2  29 

thirty  members ;  fourth,  the  Roman  Catholic  Mis 
sion,  which  is  not  doing  much. 

It  was  a  painful  thing  to  land  sick  in  this  great 
empire  without  a  knowledge  of  the  language  and 
without  a  single  friend.  Mr.  Piercy,  of  the  Wes- 
leyan  Mission,  came  to  China  without  knowing 
any  man  in  the  empire  except  one  who  was  dead 
when  he  landed,  and  without  having  any  re 
sources  of  his  own  to  draw  upon,  or  any  Mis 
sionary  Society  to  sustain  him.  He  was  a  local 
preacher,  who  visited  China  from  a  sort  of  im 
pulse  within  which  he  could  not  resist.  Dr. 
Legge  kindly  took  him  to  his  home,  where  he 
was  overjoyed  with  his  reception.  He  worked 
for  his  living,  learned  the  Chinese  language,  and 
as  soon  as  he  could  converse  in  it  began  his  mis 
sionary  labors.  A  crazy  man  in  England  wrote 
to  him  that  he  would  sustain  him,  and  that  as  an 
earnest  of  what  he  would  do  he  had  deposited  to 
his  credit  ;£ioo  with  the  Wesleyan  Missionary 
Society,  for  which  he  could  draw.  He  showed 
the  letter  to  a  banker,  who  took  his  check  and 
cashed  it.  When  the  draft  with  Mr.  Piercy's 
letter  arrived  the  Society  inquired  into  the  cir 
cumstances,  and  were  so  well  pleased  with  the 
result  that  they  paid  the  draft  and  adopted  Mr. 
P.  as  their  missionary.  He  is  now  superintend 
ent  of  the  missions  in  Canton. 


230  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

It  is  delightful  to  find  a  friend  in  a  foreign 
land.  I  can  not  express  the  gratitude  I  feel  to 
Dr.  Legge.  By  all  the  missions  I  was  kindly 
received,  but  by  none  so  kindly  as  by  those  of 
the  London  Missionary  Society.  Their  mission 
aries  seem  to  be  men  of  large  heart,  large  cul 
ture,  broad  views,  and  catholic  feelings,  and  their 
wives  admirable  specimens  of  exalted  Christian 
womanhood. 

During  my  stay  at  Hong  Kong  I  met  Dr. 
Kerr  of  the  American  Mission  at  Canton,  Mr. 
Kongar,  the  American  Consul  at  Hong  Kong, 
Mr.  Jones,  American  Consul  at  Macao,  Dr.  East- 
lake,  the  Principal  of  St.  Paul's  College,  and  the 
missionaries  of  the  Church  Mission. 

In  my  walks  about  the  city  I  called  at  the 
Catholic  Cathedral,  and  found  in  connection  with 
it,  i.  An  English  school  numbering  forty-five 
scholars,  some  of  them  Eurasians  ;  2.  A  Portu 
guese  school,  not  so  large;  3.  A  Chinese  school, 
in  which  are  ten  young  men  training  for  the 
priesthood.  The  Cathedral  is  plain  and  spacious. 
It  contains  a  marble  arch  which  was  presented 
by  Victor  Emmanuel.  My  next  point  was  Miss 
Baxter's  school.  She  has  about  thirty  boys  and 
as  many  girls,  and  is  sustained  partly  by  fees  and 
partly  by  donations.  Next,  the  Orphan  Asylum, 
sustained  by  the  ladies  of  Berlin.  They  have 


VOYAGE    TO   CHINA.  23! 

thirty  infants  in  care,  one  of  which  has  lost  both 
feet  by  frost.  Near  by  is  a  Diocesan  school,  in 
a  building  of  imposing  appearance,  though  it  has 
not  done  much  yet. 

From  thence  we  proceeded  to  St.  Paul's  Col 
lege;  a  fine  building,  the  front  of  which  was  in 
tended  for  the  Bishop's  palace.  They  have  a 
small  class,  say  of  sixteen  or  twenty  boys,  whom 
they  are  teaching  English  in  hope  to  employ 
them  in  the  ministry  ;  but  they  complain  that  as 
soon  as  the  youth  get  acquainted  with  the  En 
glish  language  they  go  into  secular  business  as 
clerks,  etc.  The  Catholics  have  the  advantage 
over  the  English  Church  in  this  respect ;  they 
teach  their  young  pupils  Latin  only,  which  is  of 
no  use  to  them  in  secular  business.  The  Ger 
mans  have  a  similar  advantage. 

The  English  Mission  only  claims  forty  Chinese 
communicants. 

Now  we  are  off  for  Foo  Chow.  The  boat  is  a 
beauty,  the  captain  a  gentleman.  Next  day  we 
arrive  at  Double  Island.  Here  Mr.  Johnston,  a 
missionary  from  Maine,  resides.  He  occupies 
very  good  premises.  His  wife  teaches  a  board 
ing-school,  which  is  independent,  and  is  sup 
ported,  in  part,  by  the  labors  of  the  girls.  When 
Mr.  J.  first  entered  upon  duty,  in  1848,  he  found 
the  prejudice  against  foreigners  intense;  arising 


232  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

from  the  coolie  slave-trade,  of  which  this  island 
was  the  seat.  Bin:  the  influence  of  this  is  grad 
ually  subsiding.  He  has  baptized  forty  since  he 
arrived,  and  thinks  his  prospect  fair.  He  is, 
however,  about  to  remove  his  location,  as  the  for 
eigners  have  deserted  the  island  and  gone  to 
Swatow,  and  the  natives  are  following  them,  so 
that  the  island  will  soon  be  nearly  deserted. 
There  is  here  a  small  temple  of  polished  granite, 
admirably  carved  in  alto  relievo.  It  is  to  the 
goddess  of  Mercy,  or  Queen  of  Heaven,  and  re 
minds  one  of  Mariolatry  and  the  resemblance 
between  Buddhism  and  Romanism. 

On  we  go  to  Swatow,  where  we  remain  some 
time.  It  is  a  poor-looking  place,  on  a  low  strip 
of  land  with  here  and  there  a  green  spot,  but 
beyond  that,  presenting  the  appearance  which 
the  whole  coast  does  of  cold  granite.  Swatow 
contains  about  20,000  inhabitants,  a  small  num 
ber  of  whom  are  Europeans,  who,  however,  are 
increasing.  The  custom-house  officers  are  Brit 
ish.  Mr.  Hart  has  the  general  superintendence  of 
them.  Baron  Meriton,  a  Frenchman,  is  collector 
at  Foo  Chow.  January  ist  we  arrived  at  Amoy, 
in  the  neighborhood  of  which  was  an  insurgent 
force,  that  caused  much  uneasiness.  We  were 
all  day  discharging  cargo,  the  most  valuable  of 
which  was  opium,  though  there  was  grain  of 


VO  YA  GE    TO   CHINA .  233 

various  kinds,  chiefly  different  species  of  pulse. 
Here  is  a  mission  superintended  by  Mr.  Stronach. 
The  shipping  in  the  harbor  is  nearly  all  junks, 
attractive  by  their  gaudy  decorations  in  anticipa 
tion  of  New-Year,  which  in  China  begins  the 
twenty-sixth  of  the  month,  January,  and  remark 
able  for  the  cannon  they  carry,  which  is  said  to  be 
a  necessary  defense  against  pirates  in  these  wa 
ters.  The  foreign  shipping  is  mostly  English — 
not  an  American  flag  to  be  seen.  Much  of  the 
shipping  is  damaged,  probably  by  the  typhoon. 

Next  day  we  are  off,  and  on  the  following 
morning  we  are  approaching  the  mouth  of  the 
Min.  It  was  Sabbath,  and  I  proposed  preaching, 
but  we  could  not  get  more  than  three  or  four  to 
gether,  and  as  the  captain  could  not  leave  the 
deck  because  the  navigation  was  dangerous,  he 
deemed  it  best  to  decline.  The  perilous  ap 
proach  to  the  Min  is  a  serious  drawback  to  the 
commerce  of  Foo  Chow.  Now  we  are  in  the  tor 
tuous  stream.  Foo  Chow  is  about  forty  miles  up. 
When  within  twelve  miles,  at  Pagoda  Island,  we 
come  to  anchor.  The  hills  on  each  side  of  the 
river  look  cold  and  barren,  yet  they  are  terraced 
to  the  top,  and  in  Summer  present  an  appearance 
of  luxuriant  vegetation.  The  cultivation  is  mostly 
by  hand.  The  irrigation  is  sometimes  artificial ; 
sometimes  by  springs  in  the  mountain-sides. 


234  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

Here  and  there  is  a  tomb  cut  out  of  the  granite. 
A  boat  belonging  to  Russel  &  Co.  came  along 
side  to  convey  me  to  the  city.  Eleven  oarsmen 
strike  their  oars  into  the  blue  waters,  but  soon 
they  drop  them  with  a  shout.  A  favoring  breeze 
had  arisen,  and  rilling  the  yellow  sails  it  soon 
brought  us  to  our  wharf.  Obtaining  a  chair  we 
passed  through  a  crowded  street,  very  narrow 
and  paved  with  stone.  Merchants  were  very 
busy  on  each  side,  and  appeared  to  have  a  great 
variety  of  business.  Suddenly,  turning  under  an 
arch,  we  rise  by  a  long  flight  of  stone  steps  to 
the  house  of  Mr.  Maclay.  The  family  were  ab 
sent,  but  in  a  few  minutes  came  home  from 
church. 

Weary,  wan,  ghost-like,  20,000  miles  and  more 
from  home,  the  sight  of  an  American,  a  brother, 
a  minister  was  almost  too  much  for  me.  I  was 
at  home.  Here  was  brother  Maclay,  as  kind  as 
a  natural  brother  could  be,  and  Mrs.  Maclay,  as 
considerate  as  a  sister  or  a  mother;  here  was  a 
fireside  where  the  Bible  was  read,  and  happy 
Christian  children  joined  in  the  songs  of  Zion. 
It  was  an  overcoming  joy,  and  the  silent  tears 
stole  down  my  wan  cheeks  as  I  sat  back  in  my 
chair  and  leaned  my  head  against  the  wall. 


X. 

OUR   CHINA   MISSION. 

IN    this   chapter  I  propose  to  give  a  view  of 
our  China  Mission  as  I  found  it  in  the  year 
1865,  touching  missionaries,  mission  property,  lo 
cation,  and  general  prospects  of  usefulness. 

The  mission  force  is  as  follows :  Rev.  Mr. 
Maclay  and  wife,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gibson,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Baldwin,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sites,  and  the  Misses 
Woolston.  The  latter  are  sisters  in  charge  of 
the  girls'  orphanage;  sensible,  neat,  devout,  well 
educated,  and  thoroughly  devoted  to  their  work. 
Mr.  Sites  is  a  man  of  imposing  appearance,  good 
attainments,  ardent  piety,  strong  attachments  to 
the  Church,  and  full  consecration  to  his  mission. 
He  exceeds  the  expectations  of  his  friends  in  the 
facility  with  which  he  acquires  the  Chinese  lan 
guage,  and  the  influence  he  exerts  over  the  peo 
ple.  Mr.  Baldwin  is  scholarly,  and  has  a  mind 
keen,  rapid,  well  fitted  for  the  literary  labor  of 
the  mission.  Mr.  Gibson  :s  an  able  missionary, 

235 


236  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

and  it  is  greatly  to  be  regretted  that  the  failing 
health  of  his  wife  should  render  it  necessary  for 
him  to  return.  Mr.  Maclay,  the  superintendent, 
is  worthy  of  his  place.  He  has  a  quick,  well- 
educated,  and  well-disciplined  mind,  and  to  hab 
its  of  business  and  a  heart  for  his  work,  he  joins 
correct  judgment  and  a  strong  will.  Yet,  with 
his  great  firmness  he  has  great  kindness,  and  he 
avoids  all  parade  of  authority.  Careful  investi 
gation  proves  his  administration  to  have  been 
judicious  throughout.  Of  the  happy  wives — now 
in  health  and  in  the  prime  of  life — of  these  good 
men,  I  need  only  say,  May  God  long  preserve 
them  to  his  Church !  One  brother,  (Martin,) 
who  was  active  in  the  mission  when  I  started  to 
it,  was  in  his  grave  when  I  arrived.  The  cholera 
carried  him  off,  and  one  of  his  children  with  him. 
His  widow  was  in  the  mission,  inquiring  what 
was  God's  will  concerning  her,  and  had  just  con 
cluded  before  I  left  to  return  to  the  United 
States.  The  last  words  of  brother  Martin  were, 
"  Tell  my  friends  at  home  that  it  pays  to  be 
religious." 

It  will  be  a  satisfaction  to  the  Church  to  know 
that  our  missionaries  are  comfortably  situated. 
They  have  good  houses  and  furniture,  and  are 
amply  supplied  with  the  necessaries  and  comforts 
of  life.  The  number  of  servants  usually  em- 


OUR   CHINA   MISSION.  237 

ployed  by  a  missionary  in  China  is  five ;  namely, 
cook,  waiter,  cooly  for  rough  work,  washerman, 
and  nurse.  Each  receives  $3.50  per  month  and 
boards  himself. 

There  is  in  the  city,  besides  the  missionaries, 
a  considerable  Christian  society,  consisting  of 
a  number  of  English,  French,  and  American  of 
ficials  and  merchants,  and  several  very  respect 
able  physicians. 

The  native  force  in  our  mission  last  year  was 
as  follows : 

NATIVE  HELPERS. — Hu  long  Mi,  Tang  leu  K'ong,  Hu 
Po  Mi,  Li  lu  Mi,  Ling  Ching  Ting,  Li  Tai  Sing,  Yeh  Ing 
Kvvang,  Li  Seng  Mi,  Hu  Sing  Mi,  Ngu  Siu  Mi,  Hu  Hieng 
Mi,  Li  Cha  Mi. 

CHAPEL  KEEPERS.— Li  Taik  Ong,  Ting  Neng  Seng, 
Ung  Sing  La,  Ting  Neng  Taik,  Sie  Chai  Mi,  Ung  Sieu 
Mi,  Wong  Heng  T'ung,  Ngok  Hing  Liong,  Wong  Taik 
Kwong. 

SCHOOL  TEACHERS. — Wong  T'ai  Hung,  Ling  Kie  Ping, 
Ting  K'aik  K'ung,  Tang  K'eng  Ming,  Ting  Ka  Ch'ung, 
Sie  Chung  Chung. 

The  work,  for  the  present,  is  divided  into  cir 
cuits  as  follows  : 

I.  Nantai  circuit,  with  three  appointments ; 
namely,  Tienang  Tong,  in  the  southern  part  of 
the  city  of  Foo  Chow,  and  two  out-stations ; 
namely,  Changlok  and  Yeuping.  At  the  first 
brother  Hu  Po  Mi  has  been  laboring.  The  latter 


238  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

is  a  prefectural  city,  where  we  have  been  seeking 
to  gain  an  entrance,  though  under  much  opposi 
tion  and  difficulty. 

II.  South  Ta  Chan  circuit,  with  the  following 
appointments :    Ching   Sing  Ting,  (in   the   city,) 
Lien    Kong,    (a   neighboring   city   where   native 
helpers  have  been  employed,)  Mingan,  (a  city  be 
tween  the  other  two,  which  is  occasionally  visited, 
and  where  books   and   tracts   are  distributed   as 
opportunity  offers.) 

III.  North  Foo  Chow  circuit,  containing  East- 
street  Church,  in  the  city,  and  no  other  appoint 
ment,  although  the  missionary  organized  a  class 
at  Tien  long,  twenty-five  miles  distant,  and  vis 
ited,  in   company   with   brother   Sites  and  some 
other  native  helpers,  the  district  cities  of  Ku- 
cheng,  Long  Wong,  and  many  other  places  new 
to  Protestant  missionaries. 

IV.  Western   circuit,   consisting  of  Ngukang, 
Yeh  long,  and  other  adjacent  places.     The  mis 
sionary  has   been  very   enterprising,  making  ex 
cursions  with  native  helpers,  preaching  and  dis 
tributing  books  and  tracts,  and  has  opened  a  new 
place  of  preaching;  namely,  Minchiang. 

V.  South   Nantai   circuit,   consisting  of   Sieu 
Liang,   in    the   suburbs   of   Foo    Chow,  and  the 
Hokch'ang  district,   south  of  the  city.  In  both 
places  a  chapel  is  found. 


OUR   CHINA   MISSION.  239 

The  plan  of  the  work  for  the  year  was  as 
follows : 

1.  EAST  Foo  CHOW  CIRCUIT,  comprising  the  Min  and 
Changlok  districts:   S.  L.  Baldwin,  Missionary;  Tang  leu 
K'ong,  Hu  long  Mi,  Hu  Sing  Mi,  native  helpers. 

2.  NANTAI  CIRCUIT,  comprising  Hokch'ang  and  Ingkok 
districts,  O.  Gibson,  Missionary  ;  Yeh   Ing  Kwang,  Ling 
Ching  Ting,  native  helpers. 

3.  NORTH  Foo  CHOW  CIRCUIT,  comprising  Long  Wong 
and  Lien  Kong  districts  :   R.  S.  Maclay,  Missionary ;  Hu 
Po  Mi,  Ngu  Siu  Mi,  Li  Tai  Sing,  native  helpers. 

4.  WESTERN   CIRCUIT,  comprising  Aukwang  and  Min- 
ch'iang  districts  :   Nathan  Sites,  Missionary  ;  Li  lu  Mi,  Li 
Seng  Mi,  Li  Cha  Mi,  native  helpers. 

5.  INTERIOR   CIRCUIT,   comprising   the    Kuch'eng  and 
Pingnang  districts  :  missionary  to  be  supplied  ;  Hu  Hieng 
Mi,  native  helper. 

6.  BOYS'  BOARDING-SCHOOL — Otis  Gibson,  Principal. 

7.  GIRLS'  BOARDING-SCHOOL — Miss  Beulah  Woolston, 
Preceptress  ;  Miss  S.  H.  Woolston,  Assistant. 

8.  PRINTING-OFFICE — S.  L.  Baldwin,  Superintendent. 

9.  TRANSLATING    COMMITTEE— R.    S.    Maclay,    Otis 
Gibson. 

10.  FOUNDLING  ASYLUM — Mrs.  H.  C.  Maclay. 

11.  AMERICAN    SUNDAY-SCHOOL — Mrs.  Ettie  E.  Bald 
win. 

We  have  begun  our  literary  labors  auspi 
ciously.  A  colloquial  New  Testament  has  been 
published,  with  a  colored  map  of  Palestine,  and  a 
list  of  the  miracles,  parables,  and  discourses  of 
Christ.  A  revised  edition  will  soon  appear.  The 
work  has  been  adopted  by  all  the  Protestant  mis 
sions  in  the  city,  and  it  has  been  translated 


240 


OUR   ORIENTAL   All SS IONS. 


chiefly  by  our  own  missionaries,  assisted  by  those 
of  the  Presbyterian  Board.  Dr.  Maclay  has  pre 
pared  an  English  and  Chinese  dictionary  in  the 
Foo  Chow  dialect,  alphabetically  arranged.  Our 
Discipline  has  been  printed  during  the  year,  and 
also  the  Methodist  Hymn-Book,  a  small  arithme 
tic  by  brother  Gibson,  and  a  monthly  record. 

The  expenses  of  the  office  for  the  year  were 
$1,379.90.  The  receipts  were,  from  the  Amer 
ican  Bible  Society,  $966.41 ;  American  Board  of 
Missions,  $133.27;  for 'English  printing,  from 
mercantile  community,  $450.65.  Besides  numer- 
erous  copies  of  the  Methodist  Catechism,  General 
Rules  and  Ritual,  and  minor  matters,  our  print 
ing-office  issued  during  the  year  of 


I.  Scriptures. 

Copies. 

Pages. 

Colloquial  Matthew, 

4,000 

208,000 

Classical           "              ... 

6,000 

252,000 

Reference         "          . 

500 

40,000 

Gospels  and  Acts, 

500 

158,000 

Galatians  and  Hebrews,     . 

2,500 

1  70,000 

James  to  Revelation,      .         , 

2,500 

135,000 

Colloquial  New  Testament, 

1,500 

669,000 

Printed  for  American  Board  of  Mis 

sions  portions  of  New  Testament, 

3,500 

173,000 

Total  of  Scriptures,    . 

21,000 

1,805,000 

II.  Tracts,  Scientific  Books,  etc. 

Copies. 

Pages. 

Ten  Commandments,     . 

I3»550 

133.500 

T  82< 

90,  i  oo 

Gibson's  Arithmetic, 

500 

2I,OOO 

C.  C.  Baldwin's  Catechism, 

15° 

19,500 

In  all,  2,071,100  pages. 

OUR   CHINA   MISSION.  24! 

Besides  the  mission  force  already  described,  we 
have  a  Christian  boarding-school  teacher,  and  six 
hands  in  the  printing-office,  all  Christian.  We 
have  a  boarding-school  with  twelve  boys,  another 
with  twenty-three  girls.  The  property  belonging 
to  the  mission  consists  of, 

i.  A  printing-office,  worth  $5,000;  2.  The  mis 
sion  compound,  on  a  healthy,  eligible  spot  over 
looking  the  city  of  Foo  Chow.  It  contains  six 
lots,  each  being  150  feet  by  100.  On  this  are 
six  dwelling-houses,  all  except  two  of  brick,  with 
stone  foundations,  and  valued  as  follows:  Number 
one,  $600;  number  two,  $600;  number  three, 
$1,500;  number  four,  $1,500;  number  five,  $3,- 
ooo  ;  number  six,  $5,000.  There  are  three  church 
edifices  valued  as  follows ;  namely :  One  in  the 
city,  $2,500;  one  on  the  north  side  of  the  river, 
$2,500 ;  one  on  the  south  side  of  the  river,  $3,- 
ooo ;  all  brick.  At  Ato  a  small  chapel,  on  rented 
land,  worth  $250.  Nine  chapels  at  out-stations, 
all  rented  but  two,  one  at  Ngukang,  valued  at 
$500;  one  at  Kinchang,  valued  at  $250.  A 
chapel  at  Quaninchang,  $50.  An  orphanage  for 
castaway  children,  valued  at  $600.  The  number 
of  children  in  it  was  thirty-one,  and  they  were 
supported  by  local  contributions.  As  to  the 
sphere  of  operation,  on  week-days  our  congrega 
tions  are  composed  of  all  classes,  on  Sabbath  of 
A  16 


242  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

members  and  other  serious  persons.  There  are 
five  preaching-places  in  the  city,  and  an  average 
attendance  on  Sabbath — including  pupils  and 
servants — of  fifty  persons  at  each  place.  Beyond 
the  city  we  have  six  Sunday  congregations,  with 
an  average  attendance  of  fifteen  at  each.  The 
number  of  communicants  is  131  ;  of  probation 
ers,  28;  of  baptisms  during  past  year,  51  ;  and 
of  additions,  34.  The  Sunday-schools  are  eight, 
and  their  scholars  150.  The  amount  contributed 
by  the  members  for  missionary  purposes,  $55. 
The  probable  number  of  Pagans  to  whom  we 
preach  weekly  is  3,000 ;  namely,  2,000  within  the 
city  and  1,000  without.  Our  members  are  gen 
erally  intelligent  and  pious  Christians.  About 
fifty  of  them  are  dependent,  more  or  less,  upon 
the  mission  for  support. 

The  location  of  our  mission  is  healthful  and 
beautiful.  The  country  in  the  valley  of  the  Min 
is  mountainous.  In  our  evening  walks  we  pass 
down  the  mountain  on  the  east  side  of  the  city. 
It  is  covered  with  graves.  I  thought  at  first  they 
were  hewn  out  of  the  granite,  but,  upon  exami 
nation,  found  that  they  are  made  of  Chunam.  On 
the  way  we  come  to  a  set  of  graves  belonging  to 
the  royal  family  of  the  Loo  Choo  islands.  They 
are  showy;  and  in  the  midst  of  them  is  a  mon 
ument  expressing  the  imperial  will  that  the 


OUR   CHINA   MISSION.  243 

ground  should  be  thus  appropriated.  There  is 
much  intercourse  between  the  Loo  Choo  islands 
and  Foo  Chow,  which  contains  a  Loo  Choo 
quarter.  When  the  officers  come  over  to  pay 
their  annual  tribute,  they  generally  leave  their 
subordinates  here  while  they  go  to  Pekin.  These 
very  frequently  engage  in  trade  while  waiting. 
Foo  Chow  has  also  much  intercourse  with  For 
mosa,  which  is  only  sixty  or  eighty  miles  from 
the  mouth  of  the  Min,  and  which  is  an  important 
granary  for  this  prefecture.  The  stranger,  in 
walking  upon  the  hills,  is  struck  with  the  num 
ber  of  vaults,  or  houses  in  which  coffins  awaiting 
interment  are  found.  The  doors  are  usually 
open.  There  is  no  effluvia  from  these,  for  the 
coffins,  though  usually  of  wood,  are  so  cemented 
and  varnished  as  to  be  air-tight.  People  often  go 
to  great  expense  at  a  funeral.  It  sometimes  hap 
pens  that  when  death  occurs  the  family  do  not 
feel  able  to  endure  the  expense  of  interment.  In 
that  case  they  send  the  coffin  to  a  waiting-hall, 
or,  perhaps,  conclude  to  keep  it  in  the  house, 
until  they  obtain  means  for  the  funeral.  Thou 
sands  do  the  latter,  sometimes  using  the  inclos- 
ure  of  the  corpse  for  a  settee. 

At  marriage,  also,  the  Chinese  go  to  great 
expense,  often  impoverishing  themselves  at  a 
wedding. 


244  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

It  is  painful  to  see  the  poor  Chinese  women 
hobbling  along  on  their  little  feet.  But  custom 
reconciles  all  things.  Women  here  are  generally 
betrothed  in  their  infancy,  often  with  the  specific 
understanding  that  their  feet  shall  be  crippled. 

The  public  roads  are  all  narrow — four  feet 
wide — as  if  made  for  foot-passengers.  If  the 
emperor  were  to  come  from  Pekin  to  Foo  Chow, 
he  must  come  by  palanquin.  The  rivers  are 
used  as  far  as  may  be,  and  the  boats  are  gener 
ally  drawn  by  men  on  the  banks,  by  means  of 
ropes.  When  they  come  to  a  rapid  in  the 
stream,  they  wait  until  forty  or  fifty  have  col 
lected,  when  they  join  and  draw  the  boats  over, 
one  by  one. 

In  my  evening  walk  on  the  day  before  New- 
Year's  I  saw  a  fight.  A  young  man  knocked  an 
old  one  down,  and  was  beating  him  severely, 
when  some  coolies  bearing  a  palanquin  dropped 
their  burden,  seized  the  stronger  combatant,  and 
handled  him  roughly,  saying,  "You  must  not 
beat  an  old  man."  His  reply  was,  "He  owes 
me.  This  is  the  last  day  of  the  year.  If  I  do 
not  collect  my  debt  to-day  it  will  be  canceled." 
New-Year's  is  the  only  Sabbath  of  the  Chinese. 
Then  all  business  is  suspended,  all  respectable 
people  gather  their  families  and  friends  for  feast 
ing,  and  the  streets  are  abandoned  to  beggars 


OUR   CHINA   MISSION.  24$ 

and  gamblers.  The  law  against  gambling  is  by 
custom  suspended  for  twenty  days  after  New- 
Year's,  and  during  all  this  period  groups  of 
gamblers  may  be  seen  at  every  corner. 

The  hill-sides  are  generally  cultivated  wherever 
there  are  no  graves,  and  in  the  valleys  is  luxuri 
ant  vegetation.  The  fields  are  cultivated,  not 
mined.  What  we  call  agriculture  is  usually  min 
ing.  We  take  all  out  of  the  soil  and  put  nothing" 
back,  leaving  it  so  much  poorer  than  before  as 
the  crop  is  worth.  Not  so  in  China.  The  fields, 
which  need  no  fences,  so  closely  are  they  watched, 
are  daily  enriched  by  the  offal  of  the  city,  which 
is  carried  in  buckets  on  the  shoulders  of  men  to 
be  spread  over  their  surface.  The  city  needs  no 
drains.  All  its  garbage  and  offerings  to  Cloacina 
are  sold  and  carried  off  day  by  day ;  but  the 
stranger  needs  a  handkerchief  well  perfumed  to 
hold  his  nose  in  his  evening  walks  afield. 

The  city  is  the  capital  of  Fokien,  one  of  the 
five  ports  thrown  open  to  the  British  by  the 
treaty  of  1842,  and  contains  seven  hundred 
thousand  inhabitants.  It  stands  on  a  plain  on 
both  sides  of  the  Min,  but  the  old  city  is  on  the 
left  bank,  defended  by  a  wall  of  ten  miles  circuit, 
thirty  feet  high  and  twelve  thick,  which  has  tow 
ers  at  short  intervals,  that  look  gay  with  flags 
and  bear  the  marks  of  activity,  as  the  city  is 


246  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

threatened  by  a  rebel  force  said  to  be  very  strong 
and  intrenched  near  Swatow.  The  entrance  is 
by  seven  gates  commanded  by  towers.  A  bridge, 
four  hundred  and  twenty  paces  long,  resting  on 
an  island  in  the  stream,  and  supported  by  forty- 
nine  stout  piers,  crosses  the  river,  and  connects 
the  two  parts  of  the  city.  Foo  Chow  has  fine 
residences  for  the  civil  and  military  authorities, 
and  large  granaries.  It  is  celebrated  for  the 
manufacture  of  porcelain,  and  is  said  to  contain 
hundreds  of  furnaces.  It  has  also  factories  for 
cloth  and  cotton  goods.  Lead  mines  are  near 
by,  but  its  trade,  which  is  supposed  to  amount  to 
seven  or  eight  millions,  is  its  chief  support.  The 
streets  are  very  narrow,  not  more  than  twelve 
feet  from  house  to  house.  A  fire  having  oc 
curred  in  the  main  street,  the  Government  or 
dered  that  it  should  be  widened  three  feet.  The 
stores  are  built  of  wood,  and  touch  each  other, 
so  that  if  one  in  a  block  gives  way  the  rest  fol 
low.  A  block  of  fifty  houses  fell  down  a  few 
days  since.  The  fronts  are  movable,  so  that 
there  is  no  need  of  doors.  When  the  shop  is 
closed  it  presents  to  the  street  a  wooden  wall,  and 
when  it  is  opened  this  is  taken  down.  The  chief 
security  against  fire  consists  of  large  tanks  of 
water  in  the  street  above  ground.  Another  ar 
rangement  is  a  number  of  fire-proof  walls  by 


OUR   CHINA   MISSION.  247 

which  the  houses  are  separated.  Usually,  when 
a  fire  begins  and  can  not  be  at  once  subdued,  it 
is  allowed  to  advance  until  it  is  arrested  by  one 
of  these  walls.  The  houses  are  low,  and  the 
roofs  project  over  the  street  to  form  a  protec 
tion  against  the  sun,  which  almost  shuts  out  its 
light. 

There  are  numerous  remarkable  wells  just  out 
side  the  city  wall,  all  more  or  less  mineral,  and 
some  strong  of  sulphur.  They  differ  very  much 
in  temperature,  some  being  104  degrees  Fahren 
heit  ;  one  140  degrees.  The  Catholics  say  they 
first  taught  the  Chinese  the  use  of  them.  Bath 
houses  are  constructed  all  around  them.  In 
these  you  may  have  an  ordinary  bath  for  four 
cents,  and  a  swimming  bath  for  twenty  cents. 
You  may  also  have  refreshments  to  order.  It  is 
somewhat  disgusting  to  a  European  to  see  the 
bathers  going  from  their  baths  in  a  state  of  nu 
dity  to  the  refreshment  apartment,  and  returning 
to  the  baths  again  after  having  partaken.  The 
poor  people  bathe  in  the  springs  in  the  open  air. 
A  dozen  may  sometimes  be  seen  in  one  spring. 
Their  only  expense  is  a  cash  or  two,  that  is,  a 
mill  or  two,  which  is  given  to  the  boys  who 
watch  their  clothes.  The  waters  are  supposed 
to  be  especially  valuable  in  cutaneous  diseases, 
which  are  common  in  China. 


248  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

The  population  of  the  city  is  not  homogene 
ous.  There  is  a  Tartar  garrison,  where  daily  ra 
tions  are  distributed  to  two  thousand  soldiers. 
The  population  of  the  Tartar  quarter  is  said  to 
exceed  twenty  thousand.  Besides  soldiers  and 
their  families,  there  must  be  some  engaged  in 
other  pursuits.  There  is  a  mosque  in  the  city, 
quite  inferior,  however.  The  worshipers  are 
chiefly  Mongols,  of  whom  there  are  about  thirty 
families. 

But  it  is  time  we  took  a  particular  look  at  our 
churches.  Brother  Gibson  takes  me  in  a  chair 
to  a  chapel  on  the  right  side  of  the  river,  where 
services  are  held  three  times  a  week  besides  Sab 
bath.  It  is  probably  well  located  to  catch  stran 
gers,  but  is  a  small,  dirty,  forbidding  room,  kept 
by  an  old  man,  whose  son,  as  we  entered,  lay  in 
the  aisle  unconscious,  having  taken  too  much 
opium,  probably  with  a  view  to  kill  himself.  The 
old  man  offered  me  his  pipe  filled  and  lighted, 
but  on  my  declining  he  applied  it  to  his  own 
lips.  It  was  in  the  shape  of  a  cane,  and  of  the 
same  length.  Returning  we  called  at  a  large 
temple,  which  presented  nothing  elegant,  either 
in  architecture  or  decorations,  and  seemed  to 
have  a  large  space  for  a  worshiping  congrega 
tion.  The  gods  are  various  and  infamous,  and 
incense  was  burning  on  every  altar. 


OUR   CHINA   MISSION.  249 

Another  day  we  go  to  see  a  church  in  the  city 
proper.  Down  successive  flights  of  stone  steps 
to  a  tnronged  street,  along  this — which  runs  par 
allel  with  the  river — for  some  distance,  then  turn 
ing  north,  we  cross  the  stone  bridge  to  the 
island ;  through  the  island,  which  is  thickly  popu 
lated  ;  then  over  another  stone  bridge  to  the  city 
proper.  After  traveling  some  three  miles  through 
a  crowd  we  reach  the  city  wall,  and  pass  through 
gates  and  massive  arches  to  the  interior.  About 
a  mile  from  the  south  gate  of  the  city  is  our 
church,  called  East-Street  Church.  It  is  a  plain, 
neat  structure,  with  a  parsonage  in  the  rear,  and 
stands  on  the  spot  where,  a  year  ago,  there  was 
a  mob  which  tore  down  the  buildings  we  formerly 
occupied,  and  abused  the  women  and  children. 
After  repeated  applications  for  redress  we  got  an 
indemnity  sufficient  to  build  our  new  house,  but 
the  Government  was  too  weak  to  bring  the  of 
fenders  to  justice.  A  native  helper,  one  of  the 
Hu  family,  lives  in  the  parsonage.  As  soon  as 
the  doors  were  open  for  worship  the  people  be 
gan  to  enter,  one  with  a  basket  of  live  poultry, 
another  with  vegetables^  another  with  a  string  of 
money,  or  cash,  round  his  neck.  They  took 
seats,  and  some  remained  to  the  close  ;  but  many 
arose  and  departed  after  hearing  a  short  time, 
their  places,  in  some  instances,  being  supplied  by 


250  OUR    ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

fresh  comers,  so  that  at  the  termination  of  the 
meeting  we  still  had  a  good  congregation.  After 
a  short  prayer  a  sermon  was  delivered,  and  then 
I  made  an  address,  which  the  missionary  inter 
preted.  In  the  vestibule  tea  was  prepared  for 
the  preachers.  It  is  said  that  on  any  day,  dur 
ing  business  hours,  you  may  have  a  crowd  by 
opening  the  doors.  Curiosity  brings  them  in. 
One  aged  man,  after  service,  asked  for  and  re 
ceived  a  copy  of  the  Chinese  Bible.  On  Sab 
bath,  in  the  church  on  the  mission  compound, 
we  had  Chinese  service  in  the  morning.  Yeh 
Ing  preached.  He  is  one  of  our  native  helpers, 
and  apparently  a  man  of  power,  culture,  and  pi 
ety.  After  his  discourse  I  addressed  the  assem 
bly  through  an  interpreter. 

In  the  afternoon  I  preached  in  English.  There 
were  present,  besides  the  members  of  our  mission, 
some  persons  from  the  Presbyterian,  and  other 
Europeans,  the  American  Consul,  etc.  Mrs. 
Baldwin  played  the  melodeon.  In  the  evening 
the  missionaries  assembled  in  Mr.  Maclay's  par 
lor  for  prayer  and  sacred  song,  thus  closing  the 
holy  day  delightfully,  and  in  a  way  to  remind  us 
of  home,  sweet  home.  During  the  next  week  I 
had  the  happiness  to  attend  a  monthly  meeting 
of  the  missionaries,  in  which  their  bills  are  aud 
ited.  These  bills  are  for  native  helpers  and 


OUR   CHINA   MISSION.  25 1 

incidental  charges.  They  are  announced,  ex 
plained,  and,  if  no  objection  be  made,  allowed 
and  recorded. 

On  February  ist  I  went  with  Mr.  Sites  to  his 
residence,  Ngu  Kang.  This  is  up  the  river  some 
distance.  For  the  purpose  of  communicating 
with  the  mission  he  hires  a  boat  at  $16  a  month. 
The  boatmen  own  it.  Once  the  mission  owned 
a  boat,  and  these  boatmen  worked  it.  Some  of 
the  native  Christians  wished  to  manage  it,  and 
were  of  course  preferred,  but  being  unskillful 
they  soon  lost  it.  This  boat  resembles  the  flat- 
boats  of  the  Mississippi,  and  is  remarkably  neat. 
It  is  said  that  the  boats  in  China  are  among  the 
neatest  things  in  it.  Many  of  them,  like  this, 
are  occupied  by  families.  The  head  man  of  this 
boat  lives  in  it.  He  has  a  wife  and  child,  and 
the  former  takes  her  place  at  the  oar  with  other 
rowers.  We  go  part  way  by  oars,  then  the  boat 
men  get  out  and  draw  the  boat  by  ropes,  as  a 
canal-boat.  When  the  wind  favors  sails  are 
used. 

After  landing  we  had  a  three-mile  journey  to 
reach  the  mission  residence,  which  contains  a 
chapel  in  the  center.  One  each  side  is  a  little 
village,  the  one  entirely  Pagan,  the  other  partly 
Christian.  Our  cause  here  gained  rapidly  for  a 
time,  but  now  the  line  is  sharply  drawn  between 


252  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

the  Pagan  and  the  Christian  community,  and  the 
opposing  forces  are  hostile. 

We  next  go  to  the  Peach  Farm,  "To  Cheng;" 
here  there  is  a  chapel.  Near  by  is  a  large  house, 
in  which  several  Christians  dwell.  The  houses 
of  the  peasantry  are  usually  wooden,  and  of  great 
length  and  uniform  style.  I  was  in  several  of 
their  parlors  or  audience  rooms.  They  were 
open-roofed,  supported  by  large  wooden  columns, 
without  any  floor  but  the  earth,  and  without  any 
furniture  but  a  table  and  some  rude  benches. 
In  one  I  saw  a  plow  and  a  rake,  and  in  another 
a  hen  sitting  in  a  basket.  This  region  is 
mountainous,  but  here  and  there  the  valleys  open 
into  rich  plains.  In  these  wheat  is  growing, 
which  I  am  told  will  be  followed  during  the  sea 
son  by  two  crops  of  rice.  On  the  hill-sides,  on 
terraces,  potatoes  and  many  other  vegetables  are 
raised.  An  acre  in  the  valley  is  said  to  be  worth 
$300. 

Before  leaving  Ngu  Kang  the  Christians  were 
assembled  in  their  church  ;  they  represented  five 
different  classes.  After  the  usual  religious  serv 
ices  brother  Sites  gave  the  people  an  opportunity 
of  speaking,  and  interpreted  their  addresses  to 
me.  They  abounded  in  thanks  for  my  visit, 
prayers  for  my  safe  return,  desires  that  I  would 
ask  the  prayers  of  American  Christians  for  China, 


OUR   CHINA   MISSION. 

and  that  Chinese  Christians  might  stand  fast  in 
the  Lord,  and  solicitations  that  I  would  bear 
these  salutations  to  my  country.  Sia  Seh  de 
sires,  above  all  things,  that  the  Bishop  should 
ask  the  American  Church  to  pray  that  Chinese 
Christians  may  be  filled  with  the  Spirit,  and  that 
converting  power  may  come  down  upon  the 
nation. 

Li  Moi  Sing,  a  sister  sixty-four  years  old,  prays 
that  Christians  on  both  sides  of  the  globe  may 
be  of  one  mind  and  heart.  She  has  unutterable 
joy  in  Christ. 

Li  Anna,  a  sister  seventy-four  years  old,  says 
she  has  great  peace  in  believing,  thanks  the 
grace  of  the  Father  and  the  Son  that  she  meets 
a  Bishop,  and  prays  that  he  may  safely  reach  his 
home  on  earth,  and  finally  his  home  in  heaven, 
where  she  expects  to  meet  him  again. 

I  closed  the  meeting  with  an  address  and 
prayer.  In  due  time  I  returned  to  Foo  Chow. 
Our  land  journey  is  performed  in  chairs ;  it  is 
over  a  path  concerning  which  there  are  many 
legends  of  robbers  in  the  olden  time.  Our  voy 
age  down  the  river  is  nine  miles,  and  we  make 
but  three  miles  an  hour,  as  the  tide  is  against  us. 

Next  day  I  visited  Miss  Woolston's  school. 
The  furniture  is  plain,  rough,  and  cheap,  but 
clean  ;  the  children  are  plainly  but  neatly  dressed. 


254  °UR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

There  are  benches  for  chairs,  mattresses  for  beds, 
and  bamboo  frames  for  pillows.  All  this  is  that 
they  may  not  be  discontented  on  returning  home. 
Misses  Woolston  are  much  encouraged  by  acces 
sions  recently  received.  There  are  now  twenty- 
three  girls  under  instruction. 

One  of  the  first  objects  of  my  attention  was 
Mr.  Gibson's  school,  the  scholars  of  which,  thir 
teen  in  number,  had  been  dismissed  for  the  New- 
Year's  holidays.  The  boys  are  generally  Chris 
tians. 

One  day  we  had  in  our  city  church  a  sort  of 
reception.  All  our  members  were  collected,  with 
the  members  of  other  missions  and  all  the  mis 
sionaries  of  the  American  Board,  except  Mr. 
Baldwin,  who  was  sick.  After  singing  and 
prayer,  and  reading  the  Scriptures,  I  made  an 
address,  or  sermon,  brother  Maclay  interpreting. 
Then  the  brethren  spoke  voluntarily,  each  deliv 
ering  a  short  address.  They  spoke  with  remark 
able  readiness,  earnestness,  and  grace.  Their 
words  were  reported  to  me  and  translated  by  the 
superintendent,  but  they  are  too  voluminous  to  be 
inserted  here.  They  were  full  of  gratitude  to 
the  American  Church,  of  compliments  to  her 
representative,  and  prayers  for  God's  cause  in 
both  America  and  China,  and  for  the  universal 
coming  of  Christ's  kingdom. 


OUR   CHINA   MISSION.  255 

On  the  succeeding  Sabbath  we  had  quarterly- 
meeting  in  the  church  on  the  mission  compound — 
Tien  Ang  Tong.  Brother  Gibson  held  a  love- 
feast  at  half-past  nine,  A.  M.,  which  continued 
till  near  twelve.  Tea  and  cake  were  distributed 
instead  of  bread  and  water.  Brother  G.  alluded 
to  his  departure,  and  intimated  that  it  might  be 
his  last  service.  Mr.  Baldwin  favored  me  with 
an  abstract  of  the  speaking.  Dr.  Maclay  preached 
at  twelve  on  the  Eighth  Commandment,  one  of  a 
series  on  the  Decalogue.  He  writes  his  dis 
courses,  but  studies  them  well.  At  two  o'clock 
I  preached  in  the  same  church  to  an  English 
congregation. 

My  next  visit  was  to  the  church  under  the  care 
of  Mr.  Baldwin — Ching  Sing  Tong.  It  is  a  sub 
stantial  brick  building.  In  the  vestry  we  found 
Hu  Sing  Mi,  who  visited  the  United  States  in 
company  with  Dr.  Wentworth,  and  found  a  home 
for  two  years  in  the  family  of  J.  Stephenson,  Esq., 
New  York  City.  His  room  contained  many  con 
veniences  ;  such  as,  cooking  stove,  iron  bedstead, 
and  bedding,  of  American  manufacture,  all,  I 
understand,  presented  to  him  by  his  kind  bene 
factor  in  America.  Also,  portraits  of  Messrs. 
Stephenson,  Odell,  and  other  well-known  faces. 
A  local  preacher — Tang  len  Kong — lives  in  the 
parsonage  adjoining  the  church.  The  bell  hav- 


256  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

ing  been  rung,  the  people  came  in  from  the  street 
and  took  seats,  not  so  many  as  usual,  in  con 
sequence  of  New- Year's.  The  local  preacher 
preached.  I  followed  with  a  brief  address,  which 
seemed  to  interest  them.  Mr.  Baldwin  inter 
preted  for  me. 

CONTROVERSY. 

Harmony  prevails  among  the  mission  with  the 
exception  of  a  dispute  about  certain  terms. 

Two  hundred  years  ago  a  controversy  arose  in 
the  Roman  Catholic  Church  in  China  concern 
ing  the  proper  name  for  God ;  the  Jesuits  using 
the  term  Shangti,  the  Dominicans  Shin.  The 
matter  was  referred  to  the  Pope,  who  compro 
mised  by  adopting  a  new  term,  Teen  Chu,  Heav 
enly  Lord.  The  first  Protestant  missionaries 
used  Shin  for  God  and  Hung  for  Spirit.  Dr. 
Medhurst  advocated  the  use  of  Shangti  for  God 
and  Shin  for  Spirit.  About  the  year  1846  those 
who  used  Shin  for  God  adopted  Ling  for  Spirit. 
The  Protestant  missionaries  are  now  divided  into 
two  parties,  about  equal  in  number.  In  1847  the 
missions  in  Foo  Chow  adopted  Shin  and  Hung, 
often  using  Shangti  as  an  appellative ;  subse 
quently  they  adopted  Shin  and  Ling.  This  con 
tinued  until  1860.  About  this  time  the  Church 
of  England  used  Shangti  and  Shin,  and  in  the 


OUR   CHINA   MISSION. 

following  year  all  the  missionaries  of  the  Amer 
ican  Board  here  adopted  the  same  terms.  In 
August,  1865,  a  majority  of  our  mission  being  in 
favor  of  them,  waived  their  preference,  and 
adopted,  on  Mr.  Gibson's  motion,  the  following, 
after  some  months  of  consideration  : 

"WHERFA.S,  The  members  of  this  mission  are 
divided  in  opinion  as  to  the  best  terms  to  be 
used  in  China  for  God  and  Spirit,  and  also  with 
reference  to  the  best  version  of  the  Scriptures 
in  Chinese  ;  therefore, 

"Resolved,  That  the  several  members  of  the 
mission,  and  the  native  helpers  in  our  employ, 
should,  for  the  present,  use  the  Chinese  terms 
they  severally  prefer  for  God  and  the  Spirit,  and 
also  the  version  of  the  Scriptures  which  they 
deem  best." 

At  that  time  the  mission  stood,  three  for 
Shangti  and  Shin,  two  for  Shin  and  Ling. 
Among  the  Protestant  missionaries  of  Foo  Chow 
the  vote  stood,  eight  in  favor  of  Shangti  and 
Shin,  two  in  favor  of  Shin  and  Ling.  Our  na 
tive  helpers  stood,  eight  in  favor  of  Shangti  and 
Shin,  one  in  favor  of  Shin  and  Ling.  All  the 
native  helpers  of  other  missions  were  in  favor  of 
Shangti  and  Shin.  There  was  a  prospect  that 
under  this  compromise  resolution  harmony  might 
be  secured  ;  but  it  seems  that  the  minority,  as 
A  17 


258  OUR    ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

they  studied  the  question,  found  it  magnifying  in 
importance,  ceasing  to  be  a  philological  question, 
and  becoming  a  moral  one.  Not  content  with 
the  liberty  to  use  the  terms  they  preferred,  they 
felt  bound  to  contend  with  those  who  used  oth 
ers.  One  would  not  allow  his  native  helpers 
to  use  them,  withdrew  his  members  from  the 
monthly  concert,  and  kept  his  scholars  from  our 
public  meetings.  Two  refused  to  circulate  the 
version  of  the  Scriptures  preferred  by  the  mis 
sion — distributing  that  of  Drs.  Bridgman  and 
Culbertson — and  all  books  in  which  the  ob 
jectionable  terms  occur,  and  could  not  allow  to 
be  sung  in  their  churches  the  hymns  in  which 
they  are  employed.  One  of  these  has  returned, 
the  other  remains ;  but,  no  doubt,  time  will  cure 
the  discord.  I  must  confess  that  after  hearing 
the  whole  question  discussed,  I  could  but  look 
upon  the  difference  as  of  but  little  consequence, 
though  the  controversy  may  be  very  evil  in  its 
results  if  it  should  be  continued. 

OTHER  MISSIONS. 

There  are  in  Foo  Chow  the  following  missions 
besides  our  own :  i.  The  missions  of  the  Amer 
ican  Board.  They  have  four  missionaries,  with 
their  wives ;  namely,  L.  B.  Peet,  C.  C.  Baldwin, 
Charles  Hartwell,  and  S.  F.  Wood  in.  The 


OUR   CHINA   MISSION.  259 

Church  of  England  Mission  has  two  mission 
aries,  with  their  wives ;  namely,  J.  R.  Wolfe  and 
A.  W.  Cribb.  The  premises  of  the  American 
Board  are  partly  within  and  partly  without  the 
city  wall. 

Calling  upon  the  missionaries  of  the  American 
Board,  I  found  they  had  just  purchased  an  eligi 
ble  piece  of  property  for  $3,400.  On  one  occa 
sion  I  dined  with  Mr.  Baldwin — whose  wife  has 
an  interesting  school,  to  which  she  seems  de 
voted — and  on  another  occasion  with  Mr.  Peet. 
I  also  called  upon  Mr.  Wolfe,  Church  Missionary, 
by  whom  I  was  kindly  received.  His  house  is 
on  an  eminence  commanding  a  fine  view  of  the 
city,  in  which  stand  prominently  both  the  Cath 
olic  and  Episcopal  churches,  substantial,  orna 
mental,  and  admirably  located.  The  former  is 
very  large,  and  its  architecture,  arrangements, 
and  ornaments  are  all  in  Chinese  taste.  It  has 
a  garden  and  a  nunnery  attached  to  it,  and  a 
foundling  hospital  opposite.  It  claims  to  have 
three  thousand  members. 

The  missionaries  of  the  different  Protestant 
missions  come  together  in  a  monthly  concert  of 
prayer.  I  led  the  meeting  on  one  of  these  occa 
sions,  opening  it  with  an  address.  These  breth 
ren  seem  to  regard  each  other  as  members  of  one 
body,  and  work  together  in  harmony. 


260  OUR   ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 


ENCOURAGEMENTS. 

The  following  sources  of  encouragement  may 
be  noted:  I.  The  decline  of  prejudices  against 
foreigners  and  against  the  Gospel ;  2.  The  re 
moval  of  all  legal  obstructions  to  the  spread  of 
Christianity  among  the  people,  and  to  its  propa 
gation  throughout  the  country;  3.  A  steady  in 
crease  of  the  influence  of  Christian  nations  in 
China;  4.  Legal  protection  for  both  native  and 
foreign  Christians;  5.  The  readiness  of  the  peo 
ple  to  receive  missionaries,  and  the  invitations 
from  them  in  various  parts ;  6.  Proofs  of  conver 
sion  and  the  power  of  the  Gospel  in  the  lives  of 
Chinese  Christians ;  7.  Gifts,  graces,  and  useful 
ness  of  our  native  helpers.  They  are  well-formed, 
well-dressed,  noble-looking  men.  One  of  them, 
of  the  celebrated  family  of  Hu,  told  me  he  was 
stationed  one  hundred  miles  off,  in  a  sickly  place. 
Sometimes  he  gets  the  ague  and  comes  back  to 
recruit,  but  is  soon  at  his  post  again. 

BUDDHIST    MONASTERY. 

Before  leaving  Foo  Chow  I  went  to  the  cele 
brated  Buddhist  monastery  at  Kushan  Mountain. 
We  descend  the  river  in  the  mission  boat  about 
six  miles.  Then  landing,  we  take  a  chair  and 
ascend  the  mountain,  up  which  a  broad  stone 


OUR   CHINA   MISSION.  261 

pavement  leads  all  the  way  to  the  monastery. 
There  are  rest-houses  on  the  way,  where  refresh 
ments  may  be  obtained.  The  mountain  is  rocky 
and  sterile,  though  a  few  pine-trees  are  making 
slow  progress  here  and  there,  where  the  soil  al 
lows  them  to  take  root.  The  views  of  the  river, 
and  city,  and  surrounding  country  from  the  dif 
ferent  rest-houses  are  charming.  As  we  approach 
the  monastery  we  see  a  number  of  disabled  cat 
tle,  which  are  in  charge  of  a  herdsman,  and 
which,  it  is  said,  are  preserved  from  death  and 
suffering  by  the  monks,  who  deem  it  a  high  vir 
tue  to  preserve  life.  There  are  springs  near  the 
monastery,  and  the  water  is  received  in  a  large 
tank,  which  seems  filled  with  fishes.  The  build 
ing  is  in  a  very  concealed  but  romantic  spot. 
Though  only  one  story,  it  covers  a  large  space. 
The  images  at  the  entrance  are  colossal.  We 
were  just  in  time  to  see  the  monks  assemble  for 
worship ;  they  are  said  to  be  seventy  in  number. 
They  are  of  various  ages  ;  all  have  their  heads 
shaved,  are  clad  in  yellow  robes,  and  look  melan 
choly.  The  worship  consists  of  genuflections, 
recitations  from  their  sacred  books  in  Pali,  which 
few,  if  any,  understand,  singing,  etc.  The  exer 
cises  are  regulated  by  bells,  though  time  is  kept 
by  beat  of  drum.  In  passing  through  the  library 
a  priest  politely  insisted  on  our  taking  tea,  and 


262  OUR   ORIENTAL   MISSIONS 

heartily  rejected  money  that  was  offered  for  it 
A  short  time  since  there  was  a  devotee  locked 
up  in  a  cell  for  meditation  and  purification,  but 
having  served  out  the  time  of  his  vow  he  had 
passed  out. 

The  camphor-tree  spreads  its  ample  shadows 
over  this  sacred  spot,  and  the  tea-plant  grows  on 
the  hills  around.  The  location  is  so  cool  and 
healthful  that  our  brethren  resort  to  it  as  a  sani 
tarium.  They  have  a  contract  with  the  monks, 
by  which  certain  rooms  shall  always  be  ready  for 
them  at  a  dollar  a  week  each.  The  missionaries 
furnish  them,  and  provide  their  own  meals ;  but 
how  revolting  to  take  a  family  to  such  a  place, 
making  them  familiar  with  the  forms  of  idolatry! 
It  is  like  hiring  a  spot  in  the  suburbs  of  hell  in 
which  to  pass  the  cold  weather. 

EXPERIENCE  OF  NATIVE  HELPERS. 

My  coming  to  Foo  Chow  excited  much  curi 
osity  and  conversation,  not  merely  among  the 
missions  but  beyond.  My  visit  and  my  relations 
became  generally  known  through  the  members 
of  the  Church  and  the  servants  of  the  house 
holds  of  the  missionaries.  As  I  was  passing, 
with  brother  Maclay,  a  group  of  heathen  Chinese, 
one  of  them  said,  "There  goes  the  Bishop.  He 
is  like  Jesus  Christ ;  he  goes  round  the  world 


OUR    CHINA    MISSION.  263 

preaching  the  Gospel."  This  shows  that  the 
common  people  know  something  of  Christ,  and 
the  nature  and  scope  of  his  religion. 

Before  I  departed  the  missionaries  assembled, 
and  delivered  to  me  in  writing  a  grateful  and  af 
fectionate  address,  signed  by  all  their  number,  to 
which  I  replied  as  best  I  could.  The  chief  mem 
bers  of  the  mission  favored  me  with  their  auto 
graphs,  and  preceded  them  with  remarks  which 
the  superintendent  translated.  The  substance 
of  some  of  these  remarks  I  give.  Yek  Ing 
Kuang  says:  "Entering  the  Christian  Church  I 
had  two  thoughts  ;  namely,  Christ  died  for  me 
and  for  the  sins  of  the  world.  My  nation  is 
given  up  to  idolatry.  Your  face  is  as  the  face  of 
an  angel.  Pray  for  me." 

Hu  Po  Mi  said :  "  I  rejoice  in  your  visit  to 
Foo  Chow,  because  it  is  a  proof  that  the  Western 
nations  are  constrained  by  the  love  of  Christ  to 
love  us  who  live  in  the  East.  Before  seeing 
your  face  I  seemed  to  be  with  you  in  the  Gos 
pel.  Ten  thousand  thanks  to  you  and  the 
Churches  of  America." 

Li  Ju  Mi  says :  "  My  heart  rejoices  when  I 
read,  '  He  that  believeth  shall  be  saved/  and  sor 
rows  when  I  read,  '  He  that  believeth  not  shall 
be  damned.'  I  have  seen  believers  enjoy  great 
peace  and  die  in  the  Lord.  We  are  three  broth- 


264  OUR    ORIENTAL  MISSIONS. 

ers,  but  the  youngest,  King  Sing,  twenty-four 
years  old,  died  last  year,  ninth  moon,  twenty-sev 
enth  day.  He  had  great  peace,  and  in  departing 
said,  'My  sins  are  great,  but  my  Savior  is  suffi 
cient.  To  go  home  is  better  than  to  stay.  Be 
diligent  in  preaching,  for  Christ  only  can  save.'" 

Sia  Seh  Ong,  native  exhorter,  said  :  "  Thanks 
to  the  Heavenly  for  the  joy  of  seeing  your  face. 
Pen  can  not  record  the  fullness  of  grace  I  have 
in  my  inmost  soul.  May  you  return  in  safety, 
and  cease  not  to  pray  that  God  may  pour  out 
his  Holy  Spirit  upon  us  that  China  may  be 
saved !" 

Trong  Tai  Hung  says:  "I  believe  in  Jesus. 
Neither  is  there  salvation  in  any  other." 

Hu  Hieng  Mi  says:  "As  to  my  entering  the 
Church,  see  John  v,  24;  viii,  51  ;  iii,  18." 

Trong  Keng  Chung  says  :  "A  great  blessing 
to  observe  the  love  which  the  Bishop  has  shown 
in  leaving  his  country,  home,  and  kindred,  to  en 
dure  the  sufferings  of  a  long  voyage,  and  meet 
the  perils  of  travel  in  strange  lands,  to  encourage 
feeble  Christians  in  trying  to  serve  God.  I 
thank  him  for  his  exhortation  to  filial  piety  and 
brotherly  love.  My  salutations  to  the  Christian 
Churches  of  America." 

Lai  Tai  Sing  says:  "Seeing  the  Bishop,  and 
hearing  his  words,  I  rejoice.  Salutations  to 


OUR    CHINA    MISSION.  26$ 

the  Churches  in  the  United  States.  From  you 
we  have  received  the  Gospel  missionaries,  who 
crossed  the  ocean  to  preach  the  Word  of  Life 
and  establish  Christian  schools.  In  Mr.  Gibson's 
school  I  received  instructions,  and  the  Holy 
Spirit  opened  my  heart  to  receive  the  Savior. 
Pray  that  I  may  be  a  useful  disciple." 

Le  Sing  Mi  says:  "Joy  and  gladness  that  I 
behold  thee.  Thou  hast  received  the  love  of 
Christ  to  bear  thee  over  oceans  to  meet  here  the 
disciples  of  the  Lord.  God  grant  thee  great 
peace  of  soul  in  returning  to  thine  own  house ! 
Greet  the  elders  and  the  brethren  for  me." 

Ting  Ka  Chung  and  son  say:  "Coming  to  Ngu 
Kang,  and  seeing  the  face  of  the  Bishop,  my  soul 
is  filled  with  joy.  The  Heavenly  Father  hath 
brought  thee  to  China  to  encourage  his  holy 
Church." 

The  Koi  Hung  class  of  fourteen  members 
write  :  "  Through  the  grace  of  the  Savior  we  see 
you.  God  grant  you  grace  and  a  peaceful  re 
turn  !  Greet  the  American  Church,  and  pray 
for  China." 

Tang  Yeu  Keong  says:  "When  I  beheld  the 
Bishop's  face  my  heart  greatly  rejoiced.  When 
I  saw  his  feebleness,  and  considered  that  it  was 
for  Christ's  sake  he  suffered,  that  he  might  cross 
the  wide  oceans  to  come  for  God's  people,  and 


266  OUR   ORIENTAL   MISSIONS. 

that  he  did  not  fear  the  discomforts  and  dangers 
of  the  voyage,  only  desiring  to  aid  the  few  sheep 
in  these  ends  of  the  earth,  truly,  my  heart  is  lost 
in  wonder  and  love.  I  thus  know  you  to  be  a 
genuine  Bishop.  See  John  x,  n.  Your  visit 
and  your  example  will  be  a  great  blessing  to  us 
all.  May  God  abundantly  bless  you,  and  bring 
you  to  the  end  of  your  voyage  in  peace  !" 

Nu  Sin  Mi  says :  "  Through  God's  grace  I 
know  to  travel  in  the  way  to  heaven.  In  my 
heart  I  love  you  with  the  love  of  Christ.  God 
grant  you  a  prosperous  voyage !  Though  parted 
from  you  in  body,  we  shall  still  pray  for  you  and 
your  family,  and  the  whole  Church  of  God  in 
America.  We  heartily  thank  you  all  for  sending 
us  the  Gospel  and  a  messenger  to  strengthen  us 
in  the  faith  of  Christ." 

Sing  Ching  Ting  writes:  "My  salutations. 
With  regard  to  my  sins,  see  I  Tim.  i,  15.  As  to 
my  darkness,  see  Matt,  iv,  16.  As  to  my  light, 
see  I  John  iv,  10 ;  John  iii,  16  ;  Romans  viii,  32. 
As  to  Christian  love,  it  is  shown  in  the  labors 
and  sufferings  of  the  missionaries  and  their 
Bishop,  enabling  us  who  were  dead  to  live  in 
Christ.  Now,  seeing  the  Bishop's  face,  we  re 
joice  with  exceeding  joy.  I  love  the  Bishop,  the 
missionaries,  with  their  wives  and  children,  as 
my  own  brothers  and  sisters.  China  is  given  up 


OUR    CHINA    MISSION.  267 

to  idolatry.  Pray  for  us !  Grace,  mercy,  and 
peace  be  with  you  all !" 

Hu  Yong  Mi  writes:  "Peace  and  myriads  of 
blessings  upon  the  Bishop  !  Thanks  to  God,  who 
hath  given  you  a  prosperous  journey.  Seeing 
your  face  reminds  me  of  the  joy  of  Joseph  when 
he  beheld  the  face  of  his  father,  Jacob  ;  but  I  am 
unworthy  of  the  comparison.  Forgive  this  bold 
ness.  Unceasing  thanks  to  the  Triune  God,  who 
hath  saved  sinners.  The  joy  is  unspeakable. 
Your  eye  hath  seen  the  fellowship  of  saints. 
You  have  not  shrunk  from  peril  that  you  might 
increase  our  knowledge  and  joy.  Having  re 
ceived  such  favor,  I  beg  you  accept  the  thanks 
of  one  less  than  the  least  of  all  saints.  May 
God  evermore  be  merciful  to  you  !  You  have 
told  us  to  bear  the  cross.  My  soul  answers, 
'  Thy  cross,  Lord,  will  I  bear.'  We  send  out  the 
Macedonian  cry.  Pray  for  us.  Paul  desired  the 
Thessalonians  to  pray  for  him.  Be  pleased,  also, 
to  convey  our  salutations  to  the  bishops,  pastors, 
and  members  of  the  Church  in  the  United 
States." 

I  make  the  quotations  without  embarrassment, 
because,  though  they  are  no  compliment  to  me 
personally,  they  show  the  feeling  of  our  Chinese 
brethren  toward  the  Church  at  home. 


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